Lyrics for To Be Alone with You as interpreted by vwkeychain

To Be Alone with You Lyrics
I'd swim across Lake Michigan
I'd sell my shoes
I'd give my body to be back again
In the rest of the room
To be alone with you
To be alone with you
To be alone with you
To be alone with you

You gave your body to the lonely
They took your clothes
You gave up a wife and a family
You gave your ghost
To be alone with me
To be alone with me
To be alone with me
You went up on a tree

To be alone with me
You went up on a tree

I've never known a man who loved me

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  • 124 Comments
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everyonealibertine
08-24-2006

Rated 0 
Jesus: Help im stuck in a nutshell

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TBeasley
08-29-2006

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Good job windmill

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Sweet_Amity
08-30-2006

Rated 0 
Yeah, I was just saying that it would be good to think if a normal person was like that, I know Jesus is. Heck, I got to a catholic school. Somedays I have three 45 minute lessons or RE (yay....). So, no offence, but do patronize me.

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Sweet_Amity
08-30-2006

Rated 0 
*don't patronize me

I accidently said do patronize me.

Please don't because it really irritates me. Cheers.

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TheShoreline
09-25-2006

Rated 0 
i love this song

when i first heard it i thought he was referring to the fact that he could be gay.

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TheShoreline
09-25-2006

Rated 0 
i love this song

when i first heard it i thought he was referring to the fact that he could be gay.

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TheShoreline
09-25-2006

Rated 0 
its, i never met "the man" who loved me.

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zachharrisment
10-03-2006

Rated 0 
Amazing song, and amazing spirtual warfare going on all over this posting and all the other ones on Sufjan's songs.

For the record:
(No condicension nor offense meant here nor anywhere.)
Religon and Faith are not the same thing.

Jesus taught only salvation through faith, not through religon. Religon is not the means to salvation, or for that matter happiness, here or after.

Whether this song is about Christ or not is incredibly vague. Infact all of Sufjan's songs are beautifully vague.

They ask alot more questions than they answer, which is why they are better than the average "Christian song."

The bible sparks more debate than any other book in history.

It seems that God wants us to think for ourselves, therefor he gave us that first origonal choice.

Praise God in all his strange diversities and eccentricities that I will never know or understand.

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fursoftasfur
12-09-2006

Rated 0 
i don't really think its vague

you went up on a tree?

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oh brave new world
01-07-2007

Rated 0 
This song is extremely vague.

Initially I thought this song was about a man he loved, who he had a sexual and romantic relationship. The first verse describes what he would do to be alone with this man.

If this song is about Jesus, this is from a really liberal spiritual Christian perspective, that acknowledges the possibility that Jesus did have family and chose to leave them for a spiritual necessity.

The line referring to this man giving his body to lonely just strikes with me as being prostitution, which most Christians can agree that Jesus was not. Most Christians can also agree that he didn't have a "wife and a family" during his life, and even from the perspective of Jesus' relationship with todays church, why would he abandon his church and his family to be alone with Sufjan Stevens? The last line really throws me off.

Also, this really isn't the place to spread your faith. It's just sort of annoying to read about people quoting Mark and Matthew when we should be quoting Sufjan.

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fursoftasfur
01-08-2007

Rated 0 
ok, sorry, but i just don't see how this song could be about ANYTHING but jesus.
by saying "you gave up a life and a family", i don't think sufjan is saying that christ had a wife and a family, rather, he chose a life as being god's instrument or whatever, rather than the life he could have had, with a wife and a family perhaps.

and if it is not in reference to jesus, what do you make of the line 'you went up on a tree'?

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anwarnova
01-15-2007

Rated 0 
to oh brave new world:

"this really isn't the place to spread your faith. It's just sort of annoying to read about people quoting Mark and Matthew when we should be quoting Sufjan."

actually..no one has quoted mark or mathew yet. the only scripture quoting that was done, was done to show the connection of jesus to sufjan stevens song. so your getting annoyed about nothing :)

and i agree with fursoftasfur ...when Sufjan says "You gave up a wife and a family" ..I think he's alluding to how Jesus gave up a life of having a wife etc.

Personally, I think when sufjan sings
"To be alone with me
You went up on a tree"

he's talking of how Jesus died so that man could have a personal connection with God. Whereas before Jesus there was the temple where God resided, Jesus' sacrifice enabled God to live with man, in man. To be alone with man.

i'm not preaching just clarifying what I believe sufjan is saying.
cheers :)

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airwolf queen
01-16-2007

Rated 0 
It's not vague that it's about Jesus... I think that has been made very obvious... but it is vague what Sufjan is suggesting with the rest of the lyrics (I'm thinking of the first stanza.)

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Trancer0110
01-28-2007

Rated 0 
What i find incredibly ironic is that so many people are getting bent out of shape when others give their opinion of what the song means or not. The website is called "song meanings" for goodness sake. Wether you be Christian or not, and wether or not you believe Sufjan is. The least anyone can do is respect the opinions of others. I really dont understand why people are becoming so hostile when it comes to giving a Christian perspective to his lyrics. I mean some of the lyrics and song titles are pulled DIRECTLY from the bible...Is it that hard to believe that there might be some other spiritual meaning to be pulled from these songs?

I complement Sufjan on his efforts to make a connection with his songs with a higher meaning, and i dont find it offensive at all.

I myself am a Christian and am proud to be a fan of such a remarkable man. The way in which he blends the simplest yet profound truths of his beliefs with such remarkable song writing is beyond me. But i think we all owe him enough credit to admit that he is capable of writing a song that is more than 1 dimensional. And i think we owe it to ourselves to experience it as well.

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byebyebirdie58
01-28-2007

Rated 0 
to what zachharrisment said "Praise God in all his strange diversities and eccentricities that I will never know or understand.". It's funny becuase I was reading Job earlier and I was thinking that Job repented even though he didn't understand why God was doing what He was to him. I just find that really amazing and wish I could have the strenght to do that.

Anyway, I love this song becuase as a Babe in Christ, I'm trying to understand what it's like to build a personal relationship with Him. And just this weekend I was on a retreat, and for one of the first times ever, I felt truely alone with God, and just hearing this song makes me so happy.

God bless Sufjan Stevens =)

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mongrelcat
01-28-2007

Rated 0 
What's so beautiful about Sufjan Stevens is that he succeeds where every other Christian artist fails. Sufjan's music is not about openly praising God and Bible-hugging, it's small and personal. He's not trying to flaunt his beliefs, he's just trying to express his love. It's so good that finally there's some GOOD music about Jesus, that isn't so obvious and full of shit like other Christian rock bands.

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Shagangrace
01-29-2007

Rated 0 
Just for clarification...JESUS IS MARRIED... at theologically, his bride is the church, messed up as it is. and the never met a man who loved me I think is supposed to emphasis the fact that Jesus is God. So, just as Jesus loves the Church f-ed up as it is, so he loves us lost souls who love beautiful songs and penetrating lyrics.

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Shagangrace
01-29-2007

Rated 0 
woops, i mean "at least theologically"

And even if we don't like the whole 'it's about Jesus" sentiment, just think of other people who sacrifice to love people ...Mother Theresa, Ghandi, other people who do incredible things that aren't directed towards themselves like the person who volunteers at a soup kitchen or the nurse who baths the forgotten invalid. The acts of "radical" love defined as radical because they drive one to want to swim across lake michigan just to be in the presence of the person who showed them that kind of love, is a great subject of a song. Going up on a tree or giving away the joy of a family to touch someone so deeply is a theme of Christian thought, but it can be extended to outside a solely christian narrative and applied universially. As in, there exists a love so powerful in this world that changes people. at least, that's how i read into sufjan's song.

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mbass081
03-07-2007

Rated 0 
You know a song is special when something so quiet can impact you so deeply. It's a really beautiful song, but with a really sad ending.

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kristinakai
03-09-2007

Rated 0 
i really dont see why people have such a big problem with christian music being about Christ. Heaven forbid we actually worship our Lord and savior and show our love for him through song.

some of us arent closed minded but it seems like all of you non christians are.
get over yourselves

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kristinakai
03-09-2007

Rated 0 
and in responce to the comment about prostitution made by "oh brave new world", it is about Jesus showing love to those people that really dont have anyone else. He is the ultimate best friend and is always there for those who need him and desire a personal relationship with him.
i'm sorry if you dont like my point of view but it's not going to change. God is my life and when i hear about someone praising him in such a wonderful manner i have to respect it and defend it.

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yllit
03-20-2007

Rated 0 
It's so sad how most of you love this music but still can't fully appreciate or understand it! don't you realise that the main reason why sufjan's music is so amazing is because he his singing about our creator??? please dont try to deny it, you're only hurting yourself

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snoochieboochies
03-29-2007

Rated 0 
It sucks that its about jesus.
Kinda made a damper on my like for Sufjan :/

I dont like religious songs unless it's in a church, and even then i dont like them.

P.s.
Dont insult my fucking opinion, it's mine and you respect it or you ignore it.

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Newports
04-15-2007

Rated 0 
I hate the fact that Sufjan Steven's is a Christian. I look at these lyrics differently than someone would from a Christian perspective. >:O. His songs are still good, though.

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upthera44
04-20-2007

Rated 0 
I wonder what is meant by "to be back in the room". Does he feel like he's not really living?

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