"The Tallest Man, The Broadest Shoulders" lyrics

"The Tallest Man, The Broadest Shoulders"

[Part I - "The Great Frontier":]

I count the days the Great Frontier
Forgiving, faced the seventh year
I stand in awe of gratefulness
I can and call forgetfulness

And when I, and when I call
The Patient, the Patient fall
The Spirit, the Carpenter
Invites us to be with her

What have we become America?
Soldiers on the Great Frontier!
Carpenter and Soldier, one on one
It's the battle, volunteer!

Run from yourself, from your friends, from ya-
(The prairie, the frontier, the perfect farm, it's from here)
Run for your life, for your friends, for ya-
(The fortress, the faker, the cornerstone, the baker)
American, merica, meri-
(The dancer, the fisher, audition and the disher)
Oh Illinois, Illinois, Illi-
(The boxer, the fetcher, the chewing gum, dream catcher)

I count the days the Great Frontier
Forgiving, faced the seventh year
I stand and strain to make ends meet
Five Spirits on the Grand Marquee

And when I, and when I call
The Patient, the Patient fall
The Spirit, the Carpenter
Invites us to be with her

There was a man at the wall
He was grateful for us all
I saw the Wise Woman sing
She wasn't asking anything
She wasn't asking anything
How she made the nations sing!

What have we become America?
Soldiers on the Great Frontier!

Run from yourself, from your friends, from ya-
(The mattress, the floozies, the actress at the movies)
Run for your life, for your friends, for ya-
(The lantern, the lotion, the wind that wakes the ocean)
American, merica, meri-
(The Standard Edition, the architect's rendition)
Oh Illinois, Illinois, Illi-
(The fashion, the fevers, the house we got at Sears)

[Part II - "Come to Me Only With Playthings Now":]

Oh Great Fire of Great Disaster
Oh Great Heaven, oh Great Master
Oh Great Goat, the curse you gave us
Oh Great Ghost, protect and save us
Oh Great River, green with envy
Oh Jane Addams, spirit send thee
Oh Great Trumpet and the singers
(Given what you lost are you better off?)
Oh Great Goodman, King of Swingers
(Given what you had, has it made you mad?)
Oh Great Bears and Bulls, Joe Jackson
(Celebrate the few. Celebrate the new.)
Oh Great Illinois
(It can only start with you)


Thanks to hatchet for correcting these lyrics.
Writer(s): Sufjan Stevens
album: "Illinois" (2005)
Sufjan Stevens - Illinois album cover
The Black Hawk War, Or, How To Demolish An Entire Civilization And Still Feel Good About Yourself In The Morning, Or, We Apologize For The Inconvenien
(Instrumental)
A Short Reprise For Mary Todd, Who Went Insane, But For Very Good Reasons
(Instrumental)
To The Workers Of The Rock River Valley Region, I Have An Idea Concerning Your Predicament, And It Involves Tube Socks, A Paper Airplane, And Twenty-T
(Instrumental)
A Conjunction Of Drones Simulating The Way In Which Sufjan Stevens Has An Existential Crisis In The Great Godfrey Maze
(Instrumental)
Let's Hear That String Part Again, Because I Don't Think They Heard It All The Way Out In Bloomington–normal
(Instrumental)
In This Temple As In The Hearts Of Man For Whom He Saved The Earth
(Instrumental)
Riffs And Variations On A Single Note For Jelly Roll, Earl Hines, Louis Armstrong, Baby Dodds, And The King Of Swing, To Name A Few
(Instrumental)
Out Of Egypt, Into The Great Laugh Of Mankind, And I Shake The Dirt From My Sandals As I Run
(Instrumental)
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