I take this song as a reprimand of those who claim Christianity but live with a hollow faith, mainly Western Christianity (I heard a statistic that only 10% of people who claim to be Christian in the U.S. actually say that they live out their faith). I feel like lines like "And the people bowed and prayed, to the neon gods they made"; "Do you love me alot? Do you love me from the top of your heart?"; "I tried my best, I tried in vain" reflect the ideas of trying to live out a faith but either moving towards idols, not putting forth the effort needed because it is difficult, and giving up on your faith. I think I am kind of just pulling personal meaning out of this song that might not have been the intention of Sufjan, but I want to hear what other people think as well.
I really just thought the line "I love you from the top of my heart" was so curious. To me it speaks alot about saying "I love you" but that love is not supported by a deep passion for you.
I take this song as a reprimand of those who claim Christianity but live with a hollow faith, mainly Western Christianity (I heard a statistic that only 10% of people who claim to be Christian in the U.S. actually say that they live out their faith). I feel like lines like "And the people bowed and prayed, to the neon gods they made"; "Do you love me alot? Do you love me from the top of your heart?"; "I tried my best, I tried in vain" reflect the ideas of trying to live out a faith but either moving towards idols, not putting forth the effort needed because it is difficult, and giving up on your faith. I think I am kind of just pulling personal meaning out of this song that might not have been the intention of Sufjan, but I want to hear what other people think as well.
I really just thought the line "I love you from the top of my heart" was so curious. To me it speaks alot about saying "I love you" but that love is not supported by a deep passion for you.