Lyrics for Casimir Pulaski Day as interpreted by downhillracer

Casimir Pulaski Day Lyrics
Goldenrod and the 4H stone
The things I brought you
When I found out you had cancer of the bone

Your father cried on the telephone
And he drove his car into the Navy yard
Just to prove that he was sorry

In the morning, through the window shade
When the light pressed up against your shoulderblade
I could see what you were reading

All the glory that the Lord has made
And the complications you could do without
When I kissed you on the mouth

Tuesday night at the Bible study
We lift our hands and pray over your body
But nothing ever happens

I remember at Michael's house
In the living room when you kissed my neck
And I almost touched your blouse

In the morning at the top of the stairs
When your father found out what we did that night
And you told me you were scared

All the glory when you ran outside
With your shirt tucked in and your shoes untied
And you told me not to follow you

Sunday night when I cleaned the house
I found the card where you wrote it out
With the pictures of you mother

On the floor at the great divide
With my shirt tucked in and my shoes untied
I am crying in the bathroom

In the morning when you finally go
And the nurse runs in with her head hung low
And the cardinal hits the window

In the morning in the winter shade
On the first of March, on the holiday
I thought I saw you breathing

All the glory that the Lord has made
And the complications when I see His face
In the morning in the window

All the glory when He took our place
But He took my shoulders and He shook my face
And He takes and He takes and He takes

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crazyeyeskilla
12-10-2006

Rated 0 
As an aside...this song be about a female, males don't wear blouses. Cardinals (or birds in general) hitting a window are omens of death and obviously refer to his friend dying.
I guess Sufjan struggles withm the same questions we all do concerning God and faith. Why are our prayers seemingly ignored? Why do good people get diseases like cancer etc. and die far too young? I know religion (at least mine) suggests these are the mysteries of faith and not necessarily for human understanding or comprehension. I guess we will find the answers soon enough.

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Revamp
12-24-2006

Rated 0 
She has cancer.
They pray, nothing happens.
It doesn't mention conventional medicine, perhaps it wasn't used?
He kisses her.
Father finds out.
She's scared, spurns him "Told me not to follow".
Father kills himself {in a way that reminds me of Wave of Mutilation by The Pixies, btw, the two go amazingly well together.}
She dies.
He remembers her.

Stunning song.

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djcorndog
01-09-2007

Rated 0 
jady
"Sufjan stevens is often criticized for writing "Christian" music, but here is a good example of why that isn't so... this song is about the loss of a friend but also, more importantly, how God can seem not to care about those who pray to him. Sufjan may well be a Christian but this is not christian music, which has at its core the desire to praise God; just music about how he feels... in other words, "music". I love that last line. I guarantee you will never hear that on an Amy Grant record."

Response:
I don't know if you will ever read this or not...But I couldn't disagree with you more...The truest form of a persons heart is not only the good "praise God" stuff...It is also the pains and struggles that we face with having faith is such a huge creator. This is probably his truest and most pure form of "Christian" music I have ever heard.

Also, fromthehouseoflords. I think that Sufjan was singing about his anger and frustration to God in this song...which is also what gives more power to the song, it shows that it is ok to be mad at God...The Bible is full of verses directly focusing on the writters anger torwards God...But it is not something that should be dwelled upon and brewed.

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aclockworktomato
01-10-2007

Rated 0 
only song that makes me cry. sufjan isn't your average guy, he's obviously very sensitive and thoughtful. i wish more guys were like him. :[ i wonder if this song is a true story?

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psycho1jau
01-11-2007

Rated 0 
I think he is being honest and real about how he feels before God. To paint his emotions in so broad a stroke as to call him angry or content would be to generalize to a sorry degree. The truth is that it sounds like he "knows" God is good and he sees his glory, he sees his blessings, he sees his love through the cross, and yet he sees the pain of loss and the suffering that happens in the world and is confused. Angry, yes, but joyous at the good he received, confused at the contradiction of the two. To say that Sufjan is simply angry at God and turning away would be to completely gloss over the beautiful parts where he talks about his crucifixion and the good things he's received, while to label him as full of joy would be to completely ignore the feelings of loss. I think that when he writes "In the morning in the window" he is talking the cardinal that hits the window. Both the glory of a beautiful bird like the cardinal, and the sadness of seeing it die by hitting the window, again a contradiction of blessing and pain together in one instance. The song is all at once dealing with a very real example of a loving God dealing with a world full of sin that is falling apart.

Beautiful lyrics, by far my favorite song on an amazing CD.

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Blueskiesandangels
01-21-2007

Rated 0 
Goldenrod is a yellow plant that in some cultures is supposed to be lucky. The 4h club's national symbol is the four-leaf clover or the "shamrock." I think Sufjan is using a play on words when he says the 4h stone or the "shamrock." But both gifts represent luck with a hope of getting well again for this girl.


Sufjan does a Tarantino in the second verse when he talks about her father driving his car into the Navy Yard. The song shows what the father does after feeling guilty for being angry with his daughter for the "complications" or teenage lust described later on. A Navy Yard was a place for ships to anchor in the war of 1812. Many people died at this place. Maybe her father went to join the lost souls.


I think the girl is reading the bible in the third verse. I believe she's trying to find answers to why God would do this to her. Take away her life.

The complications are indeed the "temptations" you could do without as another user put it. All humans are subject to temptation from Satan.

The next verse shows God's plan unraveling as it destined to be. Even with the prayers the girl's sickness prevails. It is her inevitable time to go. When God calls us to die, we can't get around it.

More complications in the 6th verse.

I suspect the kids made some bad decisions and the father got very angry in verse 7.

Verse 8 depicts a glorius state of confusion in which the girl is trying to accept her death and pushing away her loved ones at the same time. Dying people tend to want to be alone to contemplate things. The "shirt tucked in and the shoes untied" bit paints us a picture of confusion and disorder.

Sunday night the narrator finds a note that i suspect to be a goodbye letter. The pictures of her mother were probably just for the sake of rememberance of her mother.

The Narator has come to terms with her death and is faced with the loss of his lover. Tis' a sad state of confusion and a great feeling of loneliness.

Verse 11 the girl dies. The cardinal hits the window and the unexpected events lead the narrator to desperation.

Verse 12. On Casimir Pulaski day, which is an Illinois holiday on the first of March in commemeration of war veteran from the war of 1812, the narrator is so unnaccepting of her death that he believes her to be alive for a moment.

Verse 13. The narrator describes God taking away his love from him and the complications, or anger that it brings him.

Verse 14. Our Heavenly Father has a time and place of death for us all. In this final verse the narrator's great sadness and confusion is shown. We must understand God's plan and accept it. This is the "shaking" or surprise to the narrator. The Lord taking our place bit is about Him sendins his son, Jesus Christ, to die for us on the cross in payment for our sins. Sometimes life isn't fair but we must understand that a better place awaits those who have faith in Jesus Christ. Amen.

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zachharrisment
01-25-2007

Rated 0 
keep faith.

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AlanzoB
01-25-2007

Rated 0 
"and He takes and He takes and He takes..."

As if our lack of understanding of each other in times of betray wasn't hurtful enough, imagine the depth of betrayal and hurt feelings one feels with God at times.

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kingdomrad
02-04-2007

Rated 0 
"tuesday night at the bible study, we life our hands and pray over your body, but nothing ever happens"

..AMAZING song. it makes me cry. it's so beautiful.

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kingdomrad
02-04-2007

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"tuesday night at the bible study, we life our hands and pray over your body, but nothing ever happens"

..AMAZING song. it makes me cry. it's so beautiful.

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brooke19
02-19-2007

Rated 0 
it always makes me cry.
it's beautiful.
sufjan stevens is pure genius.

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sweetestsong
02-21-2007

Rated 0 
the last line saying "and he takes, and he takes," is not (in my opinion) how "jady" viewed it. Directly before saying that he mentions god taking our place...on the cross, and taking this girls live to heaven. Saying "And he takes" is not supposed to be an all around bad thing, because even if we are sad to lose, everything God takes is for the best, which he understands

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choiceXcreed
02-21-2007

Rated 0 
dont know if this has been said before. i didnt have the endurance to read the six pages of comments... sorry.

anyway the parallels between the song and the Book of Job are pretty interesting. 'he takes and he takes and he takes;' 'we lift our hands and pray over your body / but nothing ever happens.'

Job is continually challenged by God to test his faith, and eventually loses his wealth, family, and house, but never loses his faith in god. i think the song is about this ever-present situation in a religious person's life. that said, i don't think the lines that read 'all the glory' in its various situations are sarcastic. it about how this situation was a tragic test of his faith, and i dont think there is any anger present in it.

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fionaphobia
02-25-2007

Rated 0 
the first time i ever heard sufjan was about a year ago at the tibet house benefit concert in carnegie hall, nyc. i was there to see damien rice and had never even heard of sufjan. he only played two songs. this, and another that i cannot remember at all. this song consumed me from the moment it started. sufjan has this powerful stage presence. i would love to see him live again.

this song is my absolute favorite of his.

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love.music2
02-28-2007

Rated 0 
This song is so moving. I think from a Christian perspective it expresses the doubt that you feel in the midst of hardship, but from a secular standpoint Sufjan's lyrics are just as applicable. I especially love the "cardinal hits the window;" in urban legend, a bird flying into a window signifies death or loss of some kind.

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love.music2
02-28-2007

Rated 0 
Also, isn't the cardinal the state bird of Illinois? Gotta love Sufjan for tying in the theme.

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kaitlyn elise
03-18-2007

Rated 0 
Being a christian I beg to differ...Sufjan is very christian, and this is a christian song. Christian music doesn't have to be praising God always, and in ways Sufjan does praise God in this song. Naturally, an unbelievers views would be completly different than someone who is a christian like myself. To me this song is very spiritual.

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devanlm
03-19-2007

Rated 0 
I agree with Jady for the most part. I dont think this song is a hommage to God for his brilliance and greatness. I think this song reflects a loss of faith. Perhaps he used to think God was glorious, but now, this is not so. Though this song is melodically beautiful and sweet, there is so much pain and grief in it. He sounds torn and confused about God. In this song he recalls his last time spent with this dying friend. It would appear that this particular person is the most important thing to him, above faith and religion. And after he/she is gone, all that is left is the unanswered question, of why he takes, and takes and takes.

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bendingriver
03-21-2007

Rated 0 
We all know that Sufjan is an incredible song writer. He does everything that he can to never waste words to fill the page or complete the rhythm of the meter. Sufjan means everything that he says.
This song is about loss, and what makes it so touching is that it isn't a blown out of proportion/feel bad for me song. It's real. It's life.
Sufjan is a disciple of Christ and he does what he can to express the reality of being such. I can see two young teens growing up and experiencing the next found feeling of love. It's an innocent love. When he mentions kissing her on the lips and the complications that follow that is a genuine expression of love. Not an action of eroticism motivated entire by the corrupt pleasures that fill the mind of the American adult. It's a song about a first love, real love. Not puppy love. But the I will lay down in traffic for you. The self-sacrificing, self-denying love that conquers all.
The song is so very sad and it touches my heart. But the tears for me do not begin until the very last few lines. We he says:

"All the glory that the Lord has made
And the complications when I see His face
In the morning in the window

All the glory when He took our place
But He took my shoulders and He shook my face
And He takes and He takes and He takes"

Sufjan is talking about the greatest love of all. The love of Jesus Christ. This song is about the sovereignty of God. The narrator in this song is crushed by the death of his love. Yes, he even wonders, perhaps in bitterness for a time, why God would take something so precious. But he knows that a glorious moment will occur when his time on this earth is done and he mets his God face to face. The narrator will be filled with mixed emotions because he is standing in front of the one that gave him his love but also the one that took her away. But he will realize the grandness of God's plan in the great scheme of things. It is then that the last lines when he says:
"All the glory when He took our place
But He took my shoulders and He shook my face
And He takes and He takes and He takes"
The glory of God because he took our place on the cross... the narrator understand that he is a sinful creature from the day of his birth and should have been the one to die on a cross but God came down and took his place. Suddenly the narrator is awakened by God shaking his face and he sees the light. He sees how it all works. What is it that God takes and takes and takes???
Our sin...
It is not God stealing from us. Everything belongs to the Lord. Even the narrator's young love. She was a gift to the narrator on this earth. Just as God freely takes away our sin... we owe everything to God. He gives us all that is good from a short time with the love of our life... to the gift of grace which comes through Christ Jesus.

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lachilders123
04-02-2007

Rated 0 
The "great divide" is a store that sells michigan state apparel. This is where he cried in the bathroom.

http://www.collegegear.com/sf/stores/1037/

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Oobleshmerfadarkle
04-04-2007

Rated 0 
I am a Christian, but we can't let our faith blind us from seeing the true meaning of this song.

This song does talk about god, and about the glory of his experiences with the girl before she died, but it's also about the negative emotions he feels toward God when she's taken away.

Sufjan really is angry at God. Angry, frustrated, confused. And that's okay, because just like when children get angry at their parents and tell them they hate them, there are times when I get really angry at god and ask why he had to do something.

The part where he does mention Jesus is the last three lines, where he's saying "yes, he took our place and took the pain for us, but I still don't understand why he had to take her away and for that I am frustrated with him"

At the part where it says "he took my shoulders and he shook my face" it makes me think of God shaking Sufjan, desperately trying to get him to understand that he had to do it and not to be angry with him, sort of like when a parent has to hurt a child to teach him.

At the end, I really don't think Sufjan is questioning God anymore, or revelling in his grace or whatever. He just feels so helpless .

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Trav
04-14-2007

Rated 0 
Thanks Sufjan.
The imagrey of 'And the cardinal hits the window'
Carries this song so strongly for me. Its that moment of despair and seemingly pointless loss thats drawn up for me so well.

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scammaj12
04-30-2007

Rated 0 
The correct lyrics are "4-H Doll" not stone.

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go home annakin
05-01-2007

Rated 0 
I've loved Sufjan for years, but I just now looked up the meaning of his songs, starting with this one, and was so happy to find that he had many Christian themes. I just became Christian half a year ago, so this was really exciting to me.
It's a perfect story of loss. This song is very important to me because I always think that a Christian will question and challenge God. I think that his doubt was probably painful for him and maybe almost as sad as losing a loved one. His loss, a kind I haven't experienced, definetly made the song sad, but the part that touches me and makes me cry is his anger at God, because I know that feeling myself and it's such a hopeless, unbelievable feeling.
"and He takes and He takes and He takes"
it's just so perfect
Although we know God gives and gives and gives, it doesn't always feel that way. And to feel like God doesn't care or is hurting you is another loss entirely. He's not only experiencing the loss of someone he loved, but of his God, which makes the song completely heartbreaking for me.

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foundherself
05-10-2007

Rated 0 
I'm pretty sure "stone" is correct
"Doll" does not rhyme with "bone."

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