Sufjan Stevens – Happy Birthday

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  General Comment:And I don't think that this song is referring at all to Christmas, Sufjan is well studied enough to know that Christmas isn't the actual birthday of Jesus.

  Flag Braniganon March 05, 2012   Link

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  General Comment:This song is about Jesus Christ, which is no surprise considering Sufjan constantly uses Christian references in his songwriting.
  
  Burden: This lyric refers to the great burden/task Jesus Christ had of coming to earth and sacrificing his life to save all mankind. It consists of his suffering in the garden of Gethsamane where he spilled his blood and took about him all the sins of the world, and then the cross where he died a painful death.
  
  Paramour: Jesus was considered God's greatest and most obedient son in the preexistence (which is spoken of in the old and new testament). Not that God loved him more, only that Jesus loved God more, and was the most qualified to faithfully bring to pass this ultimate and everlasting atonement. For this, Sufjan refers to Jesus and God's great paramour and he is a feat or a great accomplishment of God's. I assume that is how he means it. And when he says sweet, well, if you have read the new testament you would know that Jesus lived a perfect life without sin, and he was indeed "sweet".
  
  "keep your proverbs short and sweet": Jesus spoke and taught in parables when he was on the earth, it was his way of teaching the people that had "hard hearts" or "hearts of stone". And as you read the gospels of the new testament you definitely see how effective they were. Many people today confuse proverbs with parables, which is understandable. Surely Jesus also taught in Proverbs or a council sort of speak.
  
  "life is anxious live is mean": Jesus was treated with contempt by the majority of the multitudes and we know how that ended up panning out. They expected a lot out of him, and they did not treat him kindly, on the cross and in the garden were not the first times he experienced physical pain for his goodness. And certainly the betrayal he faced daily and even by those closest to him caused him sorrow. Sufjan is saying he is sorry that life is anxious and mean to someone so good.
  
  This is my interpretation and I feel fairly confident that it is accurate, but then again, who knows, I definitely feel like all these things just click when I listen to the song being sung, it isn't something I really analyzed, it just made sense.

  Flag Braniganon March 05, 2012   Link

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  General Comment:One last thing. I'm looking at this song from the perspective that the women is involved in some sort of an afair, wheather it be one or many. apocarteresis mentions above the meaning of the word paramore. I think thats an esential word to the meaning of the song.

  Flag Dialectic1Hon February 08, 2012   Link

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    "You're God's great paramour" meaning that whoever Sufjan is speaking about is God's lover. "Paramour" is defined as "a lover, especially illicit". While the illicit meaning isn't concrete, the illicitness of the word could STILL signify Jesus because Jesus's relationship with God was looked down upon by the Pharisees. They thought him to be a blasphemer of God.

    Flag koolzieson June 02, 2012  
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  General Comment:I think this song may be about his mother, or at least it sounds like the same person he writes about in the song Romulus. I'm not sure if Romulus is about his real mother or is a fictional shortstory song. I don't know much about the circumstances of Sufjans childhood, but I know his parents got divorced when he was really young and he moved away from Detroit with his Father and stepmother.
  
  This is what I interpret the song to be saying by stanzas:
  Stanza 1: I can see your clearly sad (lines 1 & 2). You look silly (line 3). Your someone I love but don't trust, or your someone i love in spite of all your character flaws and I believe you have a good heart (line 4).
  
  Stanza 2: I can't stay mad at you its your birthday (lines 1,2). You apear as one thing to everyone but your really something else (like a bird that will not be)(line 4). The line before this (line 3 suggests he's happy about her being like a bird that will not be. I percieve this as sarcasim, but also as him giving up on this person. Its almost like when you know somebody that keeps making distructive decissions but you give them advice that they never take. So you eventually say to yourself fuck it, what can I do.
  
  Stanza 3: As you grow older you just get more wrapped up in things your not suposed to be doing (lines 1,2). If you keep doing what your doing try not to get sad (line 3), but don't lecture me on my shortcomings (keep your proverbs short and sweet)(line 4).
  
  Stanza 4: I'm sorry that life can be extreamly difficult and full of anxiousness sometimes. I know how you feel. (lines 1,2) I hope you do something for yourself that makes you feel happy again (lines 3,4).
  
  Stanza 5 is the same as stanza 2.
  
  Just my interpretation on this one hope that helps :)

  Flag Dialectic1Hon February 08, 2012   Link

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  General Comment:A paramour is an illicit lover, correct? Sufjan definitely loves that topic... Mistresses I mean. Kind of annoys me. I think this underlying reason why I could never really get into him.

  Flag apocarteresison November 24, 2010   Link

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    Not necessarily. A paramour is usually an illicit lover, but it's not a concrete definition.

    Flag koolzieson June 02, 2012  
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  General Comment:A bird is the representation of the holy spirit.
  And a pair of shoes because the gifts given to Jesus by the kings are not practical. Good one, Sufjan.
  
  But the song is lovely any way you interpret it. As always, it's what it means to you that matters most.

  Flag hatfairyon October 15, 2009   Link

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  Song Meaning:I do think this is about Jesus and Christmas. Saying "i'm sorry, i'm sorry..." means he knows what is in store for Jesus after his birth, about 30 years down the road. ... life is anxious, life is mean, and you're going to be crucified. but i'm also happy, i'm happy, because your birthday brings a pardoning ... everlasting life and the promise of resurrection with Jesus after his death.
  
  keeping in mind that a lot of people think Christmas is the 'happy' holiday, it is actually incredibly sad when you really stop and think of it, that this little baby in a manger is heading to the cross in his adulthood. easter is the HAPPY christian holiday because that is where one would rejoice in the resurrection and rebirth.
  
  i like sufjan's take... christmas is happy and sad. jesus' birthday, as often as it is playfully mocked in things like south park etc, is something that people don't focus on for its truth and meaning. so i like the way he treats this... and love the parakeet/paraclete play of words. very bright and literate. love it.
  
  keep your humor, keep your proverbs short and sweet -- nice advice to the baby jesus from sufjan!

  Flag amusingson October 15, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:aside from jesus, this song could be about someone singing to someone they love who they know they cannot help--they apologize that life is bad and feel happy that the person's birthday gives them a "pardoning" or a chance to speak to them again even though the person they're singing to doesnt really want them in their life...and then they come to their senses after the apology and are like "oh you need shoes" which i know isn't really completely literal but it represents like the person singing realizing that their confessions and pleas of love won't get them anywhere so they have to snap out of it and get back to reality where they can really only do so much for the person (ie give them material things)

  Flag absurdistloveon February 21, 2009   Link

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  General Comment:Periodix, the song is obviously about Christmas. Just read the lyrics. Song writers do not usually worry about grammar and punctuation, especially on their first write throughs. As a song writer myself there have been many times when I have forgotten to capitalize pronouns in reference to God. Sometimes you can look too deeply into something when the answer is right in front of you, and I think that is what you are doing here.

  Flag scammaj12on April 20, 2008   Link

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  General Comment:Here are the exact lyrics for this song, transcribed from Sufjan's handwriting in the first pressing of the album. The lyrics are originally written without line breaks.
  
  Happy Birthday: like the lantern on a tree, your burden bright as weary be. Periwig on parakeet, you're God's great paramour and sweet. I'm happy, I'm happy your birthday brings a pardoning. I'm happy, I'm happy, you're like a bird that will not be. Yours will number yours will be a paragon a Paraclete. Keep your bed warm, keep your humor, keep your proverbs short and sweet. I'm sorry, I'm sorry that life in anxious, life is mean. I'm sorry, I'm sorry a pair of shoes in what you need. I'm happy, I'm happy your birthday brings a pardoning. I'm happy, I'm happy, you're like a bird that will not be.

  Flag Periodixon May 23, 2007   Link

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    Capitalized "You" and etc. often refers to God, not Jesus.

    Flag koolzieson June 02, 2012  

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