"..."
date taken: august 25, 2008
photo by: me
subject: my auntie helen, my dad, and my mom. at my grandmother's funeral.
day 04 - a song that makes you sad
this song is brilliant. the lyrics are jarring at times, and consistently emotional throughout. "tuesday night at the bible study, we lift our hands and pray over your body but nothing ever happens."
i like the level of detail with which sufjan narrates the story. it's like this magical wonderland where adjectives are unnecessary and songwriters don't tell you, they show you. "in the morning through the window shade, when the light pressed up against your shoulderblade, i could see what you were reading."
and i like the musical detail. the banjo comes in when they fall in love. the horns come in when she dies. the repetition in the lyrics.
the first time i heard the song i wasn't paying attention to the lyrics, and since sufjan isn't screaming and waving his arms around, and the music wasn't slow and droning, i missed that this was one of the saddest songs i had ever heard. it's very simple. but it captures the grief, bitterness and confusion that comes with losing a loved one. and the ending. come on. read in the context that sufjan is jesusy to the nth degree, this song becomes proportionately powerful.
i included both the studio and live KRCW versions of this song, because KCRW is clearer on the lyrics but doesn't have the banjo, which as i describe above, is kind of a big deal.
there's not much more i can say about this. so just listen.
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