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Casimir Pulaski Day (Original Demo Version) Lyrics
Goldenrod and the 4H stone
The things I brought you when I found out
You had cancer of the bone
Your father cried on the telephone
And he drove his car into the Navy yard
Just to prove that he was sorry
In the morning, through the window shade
With the light pressed up against your shoulderblade
I could see what you were reading
All the glory that the Lord has made
And the complications you could do without
When I kissed you on the mouth
Tuesday night at the Bible study
We lift our hands and pray over your body
But nothing ever happens
I remember at your mother's house
In the living room when you touched my neck
And I touched your blouse
In the morning at the top of the stairs
When your father found out what we did that night
And you told me you were scared
All the glory at the top of the stairs
If he raised his hand, I could pull his hair
And kick him in the face
Sunday night when I cleaned the house
I found the card where you wrote it out
With the pictures of you mother
On the floor at the great divide
With my shirt untucked and my shoes untied
I am crying in the bathroom
In the morning when you finally go
And the nurse runs in with her head held low
And the cardinal hits the window
In the morning in the winter shade
On the first of March, on the holiday
I thought that you were breathing
All the glory that the Lord has made
And the complications when I see His face
In the morning in the window
All the glory when He took our place
But He took my shoulders and He shook my face
And He takes and He takes and He takes
The things I brought you when I found out
You had cancer of the bone
And he drove his car into the Navy yard
Just to prove that he was sorry
With the light pressed up against your shoulderblade
I could see what you were reading
And the complications you could do without
When I kissed you on the mouth
We lift our hands and pray over your body
But nothing ever happens
In the living room when you touched my neck
And I touched your blouse
When your father found out what we did that night
And you told me you were scared
If he raised his hand, I could pull his hair
And kick him in the face
I found the card where you wrote it out
With the pictures of you mother
With my shirt untucked and my shoes untied
I am crying in the bathroom
And the nurse runs in with her head held low
And the cardinal hits the window
On the first of March, on the holiday
I thought that you were breathing
And the complications when I see His face
In the morning in the window
But He took my shoulders and He shook my face
And He takes and He takes and He takes
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This is currently available on asthmatickitty.com (Sufjan's record label) as a celebration of Casimir Pulaski day, March 1.
kind of more violent than the newer version...
If this is the original version, I'm a bit happy to hear that he changed it.
Not only is the part where he promises to beat up her father out of place, but the way Sufjan delivers that part is slightly comedic, at least to me.
And BTW, it's "If he raised his hand", not head.
In the morning at the top of the stairs When your father found out what we did that night And you told me you were scared All the glory at the top of the stairs If he raised his hand, I could pull his hair And kick him in the face
I feel like the father at the top of the stairs is God. Like, 'man upstairs'? It is evident towards the end that he is moreso angry with Him, and not the girl's biological father.
With the verse about kicking the girl's father in the face, maybe he was trying to emphasize how much he loved her. He'd do anything to keep her safe. If that's what he was trying to do, he failed at it, and I'm glad he changed it. (: