Very dark, very mysterious, and of course, being classic Sufjan Stevens, it's all very metaphorical. A couple ideas:
"Counting alluvial plains
The breathing inside of the range
You touched me inside of my cage
Beneath my shirt your hands embraced me"
This may be way off, but where your chest muscles come together, it's shaped like an alluvial plain. Your lungs are near there, and "you touched me inside of my cage, beneath my shirt your hands embraced me" - maybe that's referring to the other person touching his heart, since your heart is in your rib cage. The last verse almost seems like it could be vaguely sexual.
My overall impression is that this is of a relationship. The main character of the song was cheated on, he was left shattered and angry, and out of anger, he tried to fight his boyfriend (the way 'you little boy' is used in the song at different times to refer to both he and the partner; along with the main character punching his partner (wouldn't work if the partner was female), it seems both people in the song are male), but was laughed at. Eventually, they reconcile, perhaps physically. There's also the strong note in the background of self-harm: "In seven hours I consider death" and "I ran behind the barn and cut my hands somehow" in the beginning and then again near the end, "Wrapped in a blanket of red" and "One waits until the hour is death", which seems weird if both he and the boyfriend reconcile near the end.
Interested to hear others thoughts. Deep and very beautiful song, and I can only guess the meaning of about a third of it.
PS: Not trying to spark the whole 'Is Sufjan gay' debate - though this song does make me wonder if it was written from his point of view.
Totally agree with you, but I don't think they reconcile in the end... I think he will wait his lover to come back until he dies, he doesn't lose hope, even in a blanket of red (pain).
Totally agree with you, but I don't think they reconcile in the end... I think he will wait his lover to come back until he dies, he doesn't lose hope, even in a blanket of red (pain).
i dont think this is about a boyfriend, i think the words "you little boy, you little boy" is the person's father that "called to yell at [him]" belittling him and making him seem immature and child for the mistake he made whatever that was, Sufjan just wanted the anger to echo throughout the song.
the way he plays with and changes the viewpoint of the characters in his songs, especially impossible soul, makes them so confusing i dont think anyone can guess if hes gay or not, i think its something only he can tell you and even then he...
i dont think this is about a boyfriend, i think the words "you little boy, you little boy" is the person's father that "called to yell at [him]" belittling him and making him seem immature and child for the mistake he made whatever that was, Sufjan just wanted the anger to echo throughout the song.
the way he plays with and changes the viewpoint of the characters in his songs, especially impossible soul, makes them so confusing i dont think anyone can guess if hes gay or not, i think its something only he can tell you and even then he probably wouldnt say lol
I see what you're getting at totally. Just one little thing, though. Also not trying to spark the 'Sufjan is gay' debate, but my English teacher once pointed out to me that in poetry, the writer is not necessarily, in any way, the speaker or narrator. So I can see what you mean without it being about Sufjan. But who knows? Maybe he is. It would make sense ("Impossible Soul", "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out To Get Us", etc.)
I see what you're getting at totally. Just one little thing, though. Also not trying to spark the 'Sufjan is gay' debate, but my English teacher once pointed out to me that in poetry, the writer is not necessarily, in any way, the speaker or narrator. So I can see what you mean without it being about Sufjan. But who knows? Maybe he is. It would make sense ("Impossible Soul", "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out To Get Us", etc.)
Very dark, very mysterious, and of course, being classic Sufjan Stevens, it's all very metaphorical. A couple ideas:
This may be way off, but where your chest muscles come together, it's shaped like an alluvial plain. Your lungs are near there, and "you touched me inside of my cage, beneath my shirt your hands embraced me" - maybe that's referring to the other person touching his heart, since your heart is in your rib cage. The last verse almost seems like it could be vaguely sexual.
My overall impression is that this is of a relationship. The main character of the song was cheated on, he was left shattered and angry, and out of anger, he tried to fight his boyfriend (the way 'you little boy' is used in the song at different times to refer to both he and the partner; along with the main character punching his partner (wouldn't work if the partner was female), it seems both people in the song are male), but was laughed at. Eventually, they reconcile, perhaps physically. There's also the strong note in the background of self-harm: "In seven hours I consider death" and "I ran behind the barn and cut my hands somehow" in the beginning and then again near the end, "Wrapped in a blanket of red" and "One waits until the hour is death", which seems weird if both he and the boyfriend reconcile near the end.
Interested to hear others thoughts. Deep and very beautiful song, and I can only guess the meaning of about a third of it.
PS: Not trying to spark the whole 'Is Sufjan gay' debate - though this song does make me wonder if it was written from his point of view.
Totally agree with you, but I don't think they reconcile in the end... I think he will wait his lover to come back until he dies, he doesn't lose hope, even in a blanket of red (pain).
Totally agree with you, but I don't think they reconcile in the end... I think he will wait his lover to come back until he dies, he doesn't lose hope, even in a blanket of red (pain).
i dont think this is about a boyfriend, i think the words "you little boy, you little boy" is the person's father that "called to yell at [him]" belittling him and making him seem immature and child for the mistake he made whatever that was, Sufjan just wanted the anger to echo throughout the song. the way he plays with and changes the viewpoint of the characters in his songs, especially impossible soul, makes them so confusing i dont think anyone can guess if hes gay or not, i think its something only he can tell you and even then he...
i dont think this is about a boyfriend, i think the words "you little boy, you little boy" is the person's father that "called to yell at [him]" belittling him and making him seem immature and child for the mistake he made whatever that was, Sufjan just wanted the anger to echo throughout the song. the way he plays with and changes the viewpoint of the characters in his songs, especially impossible soul, makes them so confusing i dont think anyone can guess if hes gay or not, i think its something only he can tell you and even then he probably wouldnt say lol
I see what you're getting at totally. Just one little thing, though. Also not trying to spark the 'Sufjan is gay' debate, but my English teacher once pointed out to me that in poetry, the writer is not necessarily, in any way, the speaker or narrator. So I can see what you mean without it being about Sufjan. But who knows? Maybe he is. It would make sense ("Impossible Soul", "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out To Get Us", etc.)
I see what you're getting at totally. Just one little thing, though. Also not trying to spark the 'Sufjan is gay' debate, but my English teacher once pointed out to me that in poetry, the writer is not necessarily, in any way, the speaker or narrator. So I can see what you mean without it being about Sufjan. But who knows? Maybe he is. It would make sense ("Impossible Soul", "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out To Get Us", etc.)