You make it beautiful, friend
You make it worth it, to the end
You put a hole in my head
Just like you put a fire in the tree

Ever since dawn
Ever since when
You put the note in my pocket again
And you said you wanted to meet me at three
I was invited for once
Yes, I was invited for once

You make it difficult, friend
You make it worth it, to the end
You put a hole in our heads
Just like you put a fire in the tree

Ever since dawn
Ever since three
We made the plans at your party to be
And we tied the ribbon beside your back tree
Yes, we tied it upside down
Yes, we tied it upside down



Lyrics submitted by calvins_hobbies


Opie's Funeral Song song meanings
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  • 0
    Song Meaning:I was reading a quote by Sufjan that said "...Opie the foster kid (who died in a car crash)...". I think this song is about them.


    "You put a hole in my head
    Just like you put a fire in the tree"

    Ths could mean that Opie's death left a hole in Sufjan's heart when he died, just like how he made a fire when he crashed into the tree.

    "And we tied the ribbon beside your back tree"

    This meant that they tied a ribbon to the tree to commemorate his death.

    Quote- radagast.tumblr.com/post/26422886516/…
    Flag studamanon April 04, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:when i heard this song, i felt like it fit perfectly for my high school. a student who had graduated last year had committed suicide a couple of days ago, and a lot of the school went into mourning. i didn't know him, but my boyfriend did, and he was really down.

    i think the song is about how the narrator had been trying to make a connection with this girl (or guy?) and saying that she was beautiful and worth everything to the very end. (you make it beautiful friend/you make it worth it to the end) and finally, she let him in. (you put the note in my pocket again). i think that they must have known each other when they were little, and they used to play something like cops and robbers or just childhood games (you put the hole in my head/just like you put a fire in the tree) in the second verse, i think some time has passed; she has changed vastly, maybe even becoming a little suicidal, yet he still loved her (you make it difficult friend/you make it worth to the end) and this time, she was talking to him about hurting herself, and it absolutely killed him (you put a hole in my head).

    i know i jumped around a bit, but just to summarize, i think it was about someone he loved who was suicidal, and in a way, he thinks he could have done something to prevent it.

    i could be wrong, but that's how i saw it. lovely song, regardless. :)
    Flag amynameisalion March 28, 2010   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:"We tied it upside down"

    Tieing a ribbon upside down is a mistake, so I think it was supposed to show how young and stupid they were.

    "You put a hole in my head
    Just like you put a fire in the tree"

    To Me, it means two things. (Both might not apply, maybe only one, I don't know)
    Remember the Land Before Time? The song by the Alligator and the bird called "I need you" ?
    the one that went
    "I need you like a hole in the head,
    I need you like a snake in the bed,
    Well who needs you?
    Not me."

    I think that it's talking about how he didn't know him well, and he didn't need him like a friend needs a friend.
    Think about it: If you see a tree burn down...what do you feel? Trees are beautiful, strong, proud, and generous. They make Oxygen so we can live. If the tree on your from lawn burns down, wouldn't your neighbours come over and talk to you about it? I think Opie Must have been very generous. Even in Death he's teaching and giving.





    Baby Jane - I agree completely

    Jeisenbe- Good point. That was a good movie, I watched it in grade eight and our class did a HUGE project on it.
    Flag RainDotson March 27, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:lovely
    Flag imponderableon May 14, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is so touching and personal. And I agree with the Pleasantville reference, I never thought like that.
    Flag rushtapeon May 13, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song is so touching and personal. And I agree with the Pleasantville reference, I never thought like that.
    Flag rushtapeon May 13, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song!!!!!! I am so happy that I have heard it. It's phenomenally (I don't think thats a word) beautiful and tragic. Tragically beautiful. I almost feel sort of bad about how much I enjoy this sad song every time I hear it. But it's a different kind of enjoy. It's really just a realization that this song is so pure and truthful - quite possibly just a sample of something more real than we can understand.
    Flag babyjane8733on December 30, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:the fire in the tree reminds me of the movie pleasantville when reading books sets the trees on fire, symbolizing the way people's minds were opened--almost literally like learning to see in technicolor! maybe this person's existence or friendship initiated a reaction in the narrator's mind, setting their mind ablaze, maybe igniting passion or destroying old ideas.
    Flag jeisenbeon November 03, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Why, thank you, seasandskies!
    Flag Crystal Disheson October 11, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Seasandskies, that first bit I take to just be an example of this person's kindness. He invited the narrator (Sufjan I'm supposing) to hang out, or something of the sort, and something as simple as that made such an impression and led to friendship.

    As for the fire in the tree, my first impression was a biblical reference but that really doesn't match up with the rest of the song, unless the rest of the lyrics are incredibly vague metaphors for Jesus and what he "did for us." Which I entertain almost as a fancy of sorts but honestly doubt. Perhaps it's just one of those personal experiences that a songwriter puts in that only they truly understand.

    That last big I'm not sure about either. I want to say there's significance in an upside down ribbon but I have nothing to back that up with. This is just a guess but the "party to be" gave me the impression that Opie died before the party actually happened. Once again, just a guess. If even. A musing.
    Flag jackthegiantkilleron October 09, 2006   Link

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