| Sufjan Stevens – Casimir Pulaski Day Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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"I would say that this song is definitely about being mad at God" - jady well said, although i would probably myself want to suggest something more along the lines of "confusion" and/or "frustration." perhaps that is a mere semantical point, though... what i am most struck by is the HONESTY stevens uses in his music. truly - he is willing to express BOTH the joy and the despair that are regular parts of our lives. i think it is a form of defensiveness and denial when people are not willing to acknowledge their fear, disappointment, rage, jealously, etc... unfortunately, many have been made to feel that the only emotions welcome in a religous enviornment are joy and happiness. how discouraging this must be (and is) when much of our experience is in reality a great deal less pleasant than such affectivity would imply. "and he takes, and he takes, and he takes." a wise person told me once that true worship can only happen when we are willing to be honest with God - be that a moment of thankful praise - or one of darkness and doubt. |
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| Sufjan Stevens – John Wayne Gacy, Jr. Lyrics | 18 years ago |
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Sputnik, i liked much of what you had to say. good points. i must suggest, though, and am willing to be mistaken, that i think getting hung up on "sin" per se is a mistake in trying to understand the song. the centerpiece of the song is the final verse, for certain. i think the thrust of the "outrageous" claim that stevens makes is not that all sins are of equal weight (that is an unfalsifiable and painstaking argument on either side). rather, i think the notion of total depravity is a much better conceptualization of the meaning. in other words, it's not that stevens (or "me" as i listen to the song) actually has literal bodies underneath the floorboards of his home (although the sermon on the mount certainly seems to imply something rather close to that!), it's that we are all (no matter what faith persuasion, or lack thereof) of darkened souls. (was that vague enough for you?). we are without the goodness, kindness, compassion, care that we should possess. it's not that i am blind to the myriad of kind acts my family and friends show me on a daily basis, it's that i am aware of the darkness that lives in my intentions, thoughts, beliefs, and actions every moment of my life. i think that if we are just a bit more honest with ourselves, we would be willing to admit such things. to those who find disgust in what gacy did, i join you. but should we not be equally as compelled (if not more) to find disgust in our own state? yes, yes, yes...stealing a paperclip is "not as bad" as killing 27 young men (35 more precisely). but, are you then a "good" person? does the absence of murder/rape, etc.. make one altruistic and self-sacficing beyond measure? this is a wonderful song that can encourage us to a) find empathy for those with evil in their hearts and b) be willing to admit the demons that live within our own. |
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