The Mistress Witch from McClure (Or, the Mind That Knows Itself) Lyrics

Lyric discussion by RyGuy86 

Cover art for The Mistress Witch from McClure (Or, the Mind That Knows Itself) lyrics by Sufjan Stevens

To me, the lines with "The Mind that Knows Itself" seem kind of ironic. Maybe "The mind that knows itself has a mind to serve the other" is something their father said to them about charity, and it's the first thing to pop into Sufjan's head when he sees their affair. He takes it from there, trying to fit his father's actions into what he knows about morality.