Carrie & Lowell by Sufjan Stevens | React & Chat

[@girlgroceries]

also his name’s pronounced soo-fyan lmao (don’t worry it’s almost an indie music inside joke by now how confusing his name is to pronounce)

[@TurtleStormer]

Thank you for correcting me! Sorry about messing it up :(

[@girlgroceries]

@@TurtleStormer haha no worries!! i also left another comment about drawn to the blood with a link to an interview where he confirms it is an abusive relationship that he was in (re: the line ‘the strength of his arm/ my lover caught me off guard’) but youtube seems to have eaten it up / flagged it for reviewing 😔

[@Luvluna19]

Fourth of July is one of the most calm song but such sad lyrics

[@dvdso]

oh boy, i've been waiting for this.

[@girlgroceries]

(i’m commenting as i watch this so pls excuse the no. of comments lmao) john the beloved is in my opinion thee sufjan stevens song that stirs up the most debate re: interpretation & pretty much shows the (admittedly very.. unique?) disparity in the two demographics that sufjan fans stereotypically fall into- queer listeners (due to sufjan being queer himself + having written songs about it) and/or christian listeners (once again, due to sufjan being religious & having written songs about it) some of whom are homophobic to an extent. the homoromantic nature of the writing (my tongue on your chest, etc) contrasting with the religious nature of the biblical figures he is alluding to allows for several interpretations (the wildest, probably, being that jesus and john were lovers- which seems to come from john being referred to as ‘the disciple whom jesus loved’ in the gospel of john; by extension jesus is ‘the beloved of john’ he is referring to). i feel like the genius summary does a pretty good job of explaining the likeliest interpretation: In this song, Sufjan is hovering between talking about his relationship with another person and his relationship with Jesus Christ. The other person in this song sounds like a romantic interest or one-time lover (“Beauty blue eyes…”), but Sufjan has often used intimate language to describe a wide range of relationships, and by the last stanza he speaks directly to Jesus. Sufjan speaks repeatedly of “mystery,” which may have several references. First, divine revelation in general and the central Christian doctrine of Jesus Christ as God incarnate and resurrected in particular. Sufjan wonders if Jesus is just a “fossil” in the lines of the Bible or a living fossil that is “bright in the sun.” Second, “mystery” is also a way of describing the often complicated relationships that we can have with others (lovers, parents, God) that at times seem impossible and painful, but still pull at us in ways we can’t understand (“So can we be friends, sweetly/ Before the mystery ends?”).

[@FintyLovatt]

Loved this video and loved your reaction!❤

[@AEF95]

No one asked me if im ok for so long. That was kinda comfortable. Love listening to this album as it feels like someone actually care for me