Since discovering him in the summer of 2016, I’ve come to really appreciate the music of folk singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens. From the calming, soothing nature of his voice, the intricacies of his instrumentation, to the uplifting melodies, Sufjan has produced some amazing work in the past 20 years.
Perhaps more interesting, though, is the nature of his lyrics. He’s not explicitly a “Christian artist”, but throughout his large discography, Sufjan has featured an abundance of Christian themes. I realize that for many people, they may have come to know Christ through musical worship from contemporary bands like Hillsong, Elevation Worship, Bethel Music, etc. This blog post is not trying to advocate for the replacement of these forms of musical worship, but as Prof. Oak once said,
“there’s a time and place for everything.”
Personally, Sufjan’s music has helped me to understand God through a new lens: a more artistic, intimate and relatable one.
In 2004, Sufjan released Seven Swans, his most overtly religious album. Tracks include one on the apocalypse, one re-telling the story of Abraham and Isaac, and one on the transfiguration. One track among them particularly stands out, To Be Alone With Me. Though lyrically simple, it provides some blunt but beautiful reminders:
To be alone with me
You went up on a tree
This notion is reflected in Scripture here:
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24)
This song has served as real conviction for me. It’s as if it’s asking me “Do you really desire to have an intimate relationship with Jesus? What would you give up for that relationship? Here’s what He gave up.”
A year later, Sufjan released his most critically acclaimed work, Illinois, an album filled with big orchestration and somehow-exciting historical records on the eponymous state. Though not as explicit as Seven Swans, Sufjan manages to weave in a few subtle, but powerful Christian ideals. On the track Casimir Pulaski Day, he wrestles with the loss of a close friend to cancer and struggles to reconcile his idea of God with that loss. It reaches out to all of us trying to make sense of our faith, and presents the emotion one might have in those times in such a raw and devastating way.
Later, on the track John Wayne Gacy, Jr., Sufjan recounts the story of an infamous serial killer during the 70s. The track is chilling and unnerving to listen to, with its subtle plucking of an acoustic guitar and its dark subject matter. To be honest, I’d often skip while listening through the album as a whole. But there’s more to it — at the end of the song, Sufjan says this:
And in my best behavior
I am really just like him
Look beneath the floor boards
For the secrets I have hid
This reflects the ideal that, in God’s eyes, no matter what exactly it is we do, we are all depraved, equally sinful and needing of His grace. It’s an idea that’s hard to grasp and come to terms with, but here, Sufjan presents it clearly and with truth.
For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23)
I’d also like to quickly mention both of Sufjan’s Christmas albums, Songs for Christmas and Silver & Gold, as both include excellent, melancholy and modern renditions of classic Christmas carols and hymns. These albums were on constant repeat on my Spotify 2 months ago, and for good reason.
Most recently, Sufjan released Carrie and Lowell, in the wake of his mother’s death. The same understated, raw and intimate feelings of grief from the track Casimir Pulaski Day are present, but this time, at the forefront of the entire album. I’d like to draw some attention to the track John, My Beloved. It’s on this track where Sufjan admits to sometimes reducing the story told in the Gospels as some sort of mystical puzzle, when in reality, it’s a wonderful, living and breathing truth.
Beloved of John, I get it all wrong
I read you for some kind of poem
At the end of the track, he cries out “Jesus, I need you, be near me, come shield me”. In this trying time of loss and grief, he realizes how much he needs Christ, as we all do. Beautiful imagery and Christian themes continue to play out in Sufjan’s lyrics through the 11 tracks, with somber yet calming banjo playing in the background.
There are some songs cut from this album that Sufjan released a year later in The Greatest Gift EP. For the title track, The Greatest Gift, Sufjan presents us with a succinct echo of Jesus’ “Greatest Commandments”:
The entire Law is fulfilled in a single decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Galatians 5:14)
But Sufjan’s lyrics shine new light on this command. Not only is it a command, but the source of all joy, “the greatest gift of all”:
But the greatest gift of all
And the law above all laws
Is to love your friends and lovers
To lay down your life for your brothers
As you abide in peace
So will your delight increase
The past two years have been a series of a lot of tumultuous change, what with Grade 12, coming to university, and the like. But throughout it all, God has been there, and God has been good. I’ve been reminded of this time and time again through the brilliant music and lyrics of Sufjan Stevens.
not currently @ mcds,
- Tim
