Lyrics for All the Trees of the Field Will Clap The... as interpreted by vwkeychain

All the Trees of the Field Will Clap The... Lyrics
If I am alive this time next year
Will I have arrived in time to share?
Mine is about as good this far
I'm still applied to what you are
And I am joining all my thoughts to you
And I'm preparing every part for you

I heard from the trees a great parade
And I heard from the hills a band was made
Will I be invited to the sound?
Will I be a part of what you've made?
And I am throwing all my thoughts away
And I'm destroying every bet I've made
And I am joining all my thoughts to you
And I'm preparing every part for you

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  • 37 Comments
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sweetadeline
05-27-2004

Rated 0 
this song is rad...it reminds me of being in church though

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jeastman
06-29-2004

Rated 0 
Well the song IS about God. Sufjan is a very very religious man. I don't usually enjoy music that incorporates religion or faith, but his music is just so beautiful I can let it slide.

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kemekongka
12-01-2004

Rated 0 
while i too am skeptical when it comes to music and religion (mostly due to bad personal experiences with what is considered 'christian' music), sufjan really has a way of conveying his beliefs without sounding pushy or abrasive, he's simply writing about what's important to him. and i'm fine with that, seeing how he does it so well.

also, the humming chorus thing in the background of the second verse is, well, simply marvellous.
da-dadada-da-dadada.

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Raving Lunatic
03-02-2005

Rated 0 
I'm clueless as to what the first three lines of both stanzas refer to. "Mine is about as good this far"?
"I heard from the trees a great parade"?
"Will I be incited to the sound?"?
Does anyone know what any of this means?

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Walty
03-14-2005

Rated 0 
Well I think Sufjan Stevens is an amazingly lyricist. I myself am a Christian and I can safely say this is the only "christian" album ive ever liked in my life. Its so great that he actually makes good christian music! And the parade i believe is a metaphor for the Kingdom of God. He sees this beautiful parade and all the trees (the world) tells him about it. He wants to be part of it.

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escritoralaura
04-16-2005

Rated 0 
The title comes from Psalm 96:
11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12 let the field exult, and everything in it!
Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 before the Lord, for he comes,
for he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness,
and the peoples in his faithfulness.

(Oh, and yes, heaven forbid a song should incorporate religion or faith. How tasteless. I'd much prefer to hear about failed relationships.)

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hoboghost
05-07-2005

Rated 0 
actually the title comes from Isaiah 55:12.

"For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands."

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thedrizzle
08-23-2005

Rated 0 
yeah i was gonna say, anyone raised in the church ought to remember where he gets the title, theres a REALLY corny worship song with the same title, it's just just the words from Isaiah 55:12 put to doofy fiddler-on-the-roof type music.

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aSunCame
08-30-2005

Rated 0 
this is probably one of my top 5 favorite sufjan songs...the composition, and background singing make it so soothing, and i'm not even religious in the bit. sufjan has a way of making you feel soothed by religious things he says, even without necessarily being religious. i know no one else like it.

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Miss Misery
02-26-2006

Rated 0 
I am ashamed of myself for not getting the reference, but I did have a vague idea that the song is about the second coming of Christ. I think the lines "Will I be invited to the sound? Will I be a part of what you've made?" represent his wondering if he will be a part of the rejoicing on that day, or in other words, whether he is saved. the last few lines of the song is an amazing confession of faith. I think we should be singing songs like this in church.

I too find it incredible that people would say that they like this song in SPITE of its religious connotations, firstly because the Biblical allusion is what makes this song so amazing and without it the song would be without meaning, and secondly because if people shouldn't write about their faith, then what SHOULD they be writing about? It's the most important thing there is.

And Walty, if you ever read this, I recommend Pedro the Lion as well, if you're into honest and non-corny Christian music.

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woodwell
06-04-2006

Rated 0 
I also think this song is about the second coming of jesus. Both the Isaiah and Psalms versus above are i think referring to this too. I personally cannot wait to sing this with Sufjan in Heaven. oh yes.

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asymptotes
06-16-2006

Rated 0 
I love the "I am joining all my thoughts to you," like he's preparing for the second coming. I love sufjan's honesty and wonder...to me, this is worship in its most pure form.

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nirado
07-11-2006

Rated 0 
Aren't the lines "If I am alive this time next year," some of the greatest lyrics ever..to open a song..let alone a album.

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nirado
07-19-2006

Rated 0 
The song may have religious overtones. But it can also be a love song ..in sense....maybe about "preparing" everything for the "one" that will change your life or complete you.

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bluebarquentine
07-27-2006

Rated -1 
Unfortunately, any kind of analysis these days has been tainted by relativism, Miss Misery. Tere used to be a time when finding out the meaning behind a piece of art meant referring to the artist's intentions. In our present time, its all about whatever it means to you, annoyingly enough. So if someone doesn't like religion, then it must mean something else, or if its too blatant to deny that its about religion, then you can just say you like it in spite of that because it has "multiple" meanings.

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1 Reply
dan356
08-13-2006

Rated 0 
This song makes me think about ents

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damagingd
08-23-2006

Rated 0 
We were designed to live in harmony with creation, I think Sufjan is showing how God will restore his planet and his people to his original vision. In the meantime, we grow spiritually as we align our lives with God's vision for the planet. Unknowingly, trees give glory to God simply by serving their purpose. This song is not bound in any religious sense, if Sufjan believes that God began with Jesus - who destroyed the religiousity of the pharisees in that time. A Jesus that established worship as a relational spirit to spirit connection of honour and awe, service and celebration. It is served by structure, but not bound by it. The sense of God's presence should lead to praise, in turn increasing this same sense by faith in honour and awe.

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byebyebirdie58
12-14-2006

Rated +1 
I'm a christian, but could never bring myself to like Christian music. Sufjan's the only Christian artist I throughly enjoy.

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mochajas
03-25-2007

Rated 0 
Others have cited the Isaiah passage, which goes in my translation,

"You will go out with joy and be led forth in peace.
Before you mountains and hills will break into cries of joy,
and all of the trees in the countryside will clap their hands" (Isaiah 55:12).

It's jubilant and euphoric in a very quirky, weird way - so Sufjan. :-)

To answer Raving Lunatic's questions, I think "Mine is about as good this far" refers on one level to Sufjan's commitment to Christ, but in the context of the extended images of musical jubilation, "mine" refers to his voice, which he hopes to add to the "great parade" or "band" or "sound" of rejoicing during the Second Coming.

The song demonstrates humble, hopeful resignation before God's plan, as opposed to Sufjan's willful "thoughts" and "bets." I like to play it when I'm unhappy to remind myself that if I orient my thoughts correctly, all else (important) will follow, and that God or the world owes me nothing, but I owe everything. Life itself is tenuous and a blessing, and "If I am alive this time next year..." is a great reminder.

That being said, I agree with byebyebirdie58 that most Christian music is unbearable. But I also like U2 and Belle and Sebastian and some other mainstream religious artists. :-)

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RMR
06-25-2007

Rated +1 
Bwhahaha!!

I heard the song and, having recently been in a close friend's wedding party, thought of it as a song about love, leading into marriage etc. Religion didn't once enter into my mind but for the marriage itself.

So I head online to see what others think about it and find a religious debate! What a treat!

Well for those of us for whom religion isn't a part of our regular lives, I will maintain that this is an excellent love song. Very beautiful.

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m0lecule
06-27-2007

Rated 0 
i respect the fact that songmeanings.net is open to personal interpretations of songs, but it seems to me that if you are on this website you are obviously interested in the artists in which you are commenting on. that being said. sufjan is a christian, you can choose to be ignorant of that fact and not believe the countless interviews in which sufjan confesses his faith. not to mention a majority of his songs have some kind of reference to christianity. to completely ignore the fact that sufjan is christian just seems downright ridiculous. especially if your goal is to figure out the meaning of this song considering a number of the verses refer to biblical accounts. just a thought.

o and this song is fun to sing/play on banjo.

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ChicSquared
08-07-2007

Rated 0 
IT MAKES ME THINK OF ENTS TOO, DAN356. Yay.

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loveinvincible
08-23-2007

Rated 0 
"I don't even mind the faint whiff of Jesus sauce under his minty breath."

hashfdasdfhahah.

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hanamarie
08-31-2007

Rated 0 
i really like this song. basicly for the fact that im pagan. and i have a different connection with it. wather or not its a "christian" song. same reason why some christians listen to enya. shes celtic. i think this song to me represents to beauty of nature and how he hopes to be attached to something grater. but thats to me.

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NeonBibles
09-08-2007

Rated 0 
I absolutely love this song. I am a Christian as well, but I interpret this song both ways. It can be a song praising God, or it can be a love song too. I am currently in love with this girl and listening to this song, it can apply to our relationship too. Great song.

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