May 23 2021 24 mins
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Music, lyrics, and free transcript in one place: https://explainedinenglish.com/podcast/deathwithdignity.html
Now, let's learn some English with music as I explain the lyrics and meaning of the song "Death with Dignity" by Sufjan Stevens.
Lyrics Difficulty: Advanced
INTRO:
(00:23) Why I chose this song; dark music; Sufjan Stevens
(00:47) Introduction to "Death with Dignity"
(02:12) Notes on advanced explanation; music and transcript available at https://explainedinenglish.com/podcast/deathwithdignity.html
VERSE ONE:
(06:00) Spirit of my silence I can hear you but I'm afraid to be near you
(07:13) And I don't know where to begin
VERSE TWO:
(07:45) Somewhere in the desert there's a forest and an acre before us
(09:01) But I don't know where to begin
(09:15) Again I've lost my strength completely. Oh be near me tired old mare with the wind in your hair
VERSE THREE:
(10:54) Amethyst and flowers on the table. Is it real or a fable?
(12:57) Well I suppose a friend is a friend and we all know how this will end
VERSE FOUR:
(14:04) Chimney swift that finds me be my keeper
(15:22) Silhouette of the cedar
(15:58) What is that song you sing for the dead?
(16:34) I see the signal searchlight strike me in the window of my room. Well I got nothin' to prove
VERSE FIVE:
(18:29) I forgive you mother. I can hear you and I long to be near you
(19:56) But every road leads to an end
(20:22) Your apparition passes through me in the willows. Five red hens -- you'll never see us again
OUTRO:
(22:40) Listen to the song and the rest of the album "Carrie and Lowell" at: https://explainedinenglish.com/podcast/deathwithdignity.html
(23:17) Download nine unreleased song explanations at: https://explainedinenglish.com/#albums
Photo of Sufjan Stevens: By Sufjan Stevens playing banjo.jpg: Joe Lencioniderivative work: Antilived - Sufjan Stevens playing banjo.jpg, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1495745