Trouble falls in my home
Troubled man, troubled stone
Turn a mountain of lies
Turn a card for my life
Man of Steel, Man of Heart
Tame our ways, if we start
To devise something more
Something halfways

Only a steel man came to recover
If he had run from gold, carry over
We celebrate our sense of each other
We have a lot to give one another

I took a bus to the lake
Saw the monument face
Yellow tides, golden eyes
Red and white, red and wise
Raise the flag, summer home
Parted hair, part unknown
If I knew what I read
I'll send it half ways

Only a real man can be a lover
If he had hands to lend us all over
We celebrate our sense of each other
We have a lot to give one another

Took my bags, Illinois
Dreamt the lake took my boy
Man of Steel, Man of Heart
Turn your ear to my part
There are things you have said
Raise the boat, and raise the dead
If you take us away
Still can we say:

Only a steel man can be a lover
If he had hands to tremble all over
We celebrate our sense of each other
We have a lot to give one another



Lyrics submitted by drinkmilk

Track duration: 06:17


The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts song meanings
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43 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I hear "red and white, read and wise" when I listen to it. I mean, same sound, but that's what I think.
    Flag Musicing87on March 07, 2012   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:So many of his songs just remind me of kids in foster homes who have been victims of sexual abuse. This song strikes the same chords for me. This looks to me like a song by a child molested by a father or step-father. To me the tip off is the line "We have a lot to give one another." This could be read as reference to the story of Lot in the Bible who molests one of his own daughters after his wife is turned to stone. It is an odd ugly story and I see references to it in the lines about troubled man, troubled stone and mountain of lies. In Sufjan's work, however, the child molestation theme gets wrapped up with the power of the church, with authority figures, with the superficial normalcy of American life. I see in this song stong themes of denial, sexual awakening, shame and Biblical references to the story of Lot.
    Flag Augustine25on October 22, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:What about the movie Metropolis? It features androids. "Man of steel." I think that has something to do with it as well.
    Flag Avenueeon February 16, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Hmm… as far as the Christian view is concerned, this is what I’ve got, thanks to abottleofsomething and others.
    Verse one
    As abottleofsomething stated, is about a gambler (mountain of lies/card for my life = gambling) who has dug himself into quite a bit of trouble. For him, gambling was what his life revolved around, as with most gamblers. But he didn’t fair so well and is now in heaps of trouble. This is when he realizes that his way (which he thought was ‘something more’) really wasn’t all that great. So he calls on the Man of Steel, Man of Heart to help him realize what life is really about (tame our ways if we devise something halfways)

    Chorus
    Jesus came to recover the lost souls (only a steel man came to recover). He left his heavenly riches to do so (if he had run from gold, carry over). Christians celebrate a relationship with God and God is full of joy when we commit to him (we celebrate our sense of each other). We give God our hearts, he gives us eternal life [in a nutshell, lol] (we have a lot to give one another)

    Verse 2
    I don’t know what’s going on here, but I think it has something to do with the person being lost and confused (part unknown, if I knew what I read). But as far as that chorus is concerned, it’s basically the same as with verse 3s chorus.

    Verse 3
    The person was getting tired of their life situation for some reason or another (Took my bags, Illinois) and had a dream that the son died in a lake (dreamt the lake took my boy). This causes him/her to contemplate and look to Christ for comfort (Man of Steel, turn your ear to my part). This person knows Christ is wise (there are things you have said) and powerful (raise the boat, raise the dead) and realizes that even if we die in his grace (If you take us away) there is still something that can be said to comfort us (chorus).

    Chorus
    Jesus loves us. Real love. Deep love. Selfless love. And really, only a Jesus (a steel man) is capable of that kind of love (can be a lover). Because of that love, we can lean on him for anything, we can cry to him over anything (if he had hands to tremble all over) and certainly losing a loved one causes trembling. But even with death and loss, we can still celebrate the relationship we have with Christ (sense of each other) and give our hearts over to him in order spend eternal life with him (a lot to give one another) . ^_^
    Flag 1derfulon April 02, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i thought this was about growing up an artist in a rural steelworker town...
    Flag drunkrabbit22on January 08, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think this song is about Jesus, because he is our superman. The lines "raised the boat and raised the dead" gives this proof.
    In Mark 4:35-41 Jesus calms the sea and in Mark 5:35-42 Jesus raises an officer's daughter from the dead, he also raises Lazarus from the dead in John 11:17-43
    Flag brittanylovesmusicon July 28, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:man of steel, man of heart ... i cant help but make the connection with andrew carnegie and his "gospel of wealth"

    we have a lot to give one another

    just throwing it out there
    Flag ohpioneeron October 19, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:jukeapples, i am so impressed how much you've thought about the relation between moses and superman. i hereby award you my nerd trophy XD
    Flag samfancypantson August 08, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song's actual meaning is dedicated to that of famous poet Carl Sandburg. While it can be interpreted to that of Superman, it's truth is to that of Sandburg. Sandburg worked as a news reporter at the Chicago Daily News (first four lines of the song) and the reference to "Man of Steel, Man of Heart" refers to his love of Industry and Man's dominion in such as shown in his poems included in Smoke and Steel (1920). The rest of the song falls into shape as an ode to Carl Sandburg once you look at it in this context. For further reference,
    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…
    Flag trevordjon July 18, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:love this song, it's my favourite on Illinoise. But "red and wise"... hmm
    Flag crayola_colourson February 04, 2008   Link

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