Sufjan Stevens

Ring them bells, ye heathen
From the city that dreams,
Ring them bells from the sanctuaries
Cross the valleys and streams,
For they're deep and they're wide
And the world's on its side
And time is running backwards
And so is the bride.

Ring them bells St. Peter
Where the four winds blow,
Ring them bells with an iron hand
So the people will know.
Oh it's rush hour now
On the wheel and the plow
And the sun is going down
Upon the sacred cow.

Ring them bells Sweet Martha,
For the poor man's son,
Ring them bells so the world will know
That God is one.
Oh the shepherd is asleep
Where the willows weep
And the mountains are filled
With lost sheep.

Ring them bells for the blind and the deaf,
Ring them bells for all of us who are left,
Ring them bells for the chosen few
Who will judge the many when the game is through.
Ring them bells, for the time that flies,
For the child that cries
When innocence dies.

Ring them bells St. Catherine
From the top of the room,
Ring them from the fortress
For the lilies that bloom.
Oh the lines are long
And the fighting is strong
And they're breaking down the distance
Between right and wrong.

Up in the highest of heights
O'Hara blinks and fights
This land is yours; this land is mine.
I see the Captain in red,
and Cairo at his head.
This land is yours; this land is mine.

The lightning over the park,
the waters--brash and dark
We take a swim; we take a swim.
I never meant to escape
the carpet and the trade
This land is yours; this land is mine.

And when I make up my mind
I change it all the time
I take it back; I take it back.
The numbers over the dam,
Jo Davies and the band,
I count them out; I count them out.

There was a car in the bay
by the boat that swept and swayed
Whoever you are in the light
in the water that we made
I'm counting it out
I'm counting it out
I'm working it out inside
I'm counting it out
to the floor

The ferry hatches Moline
Panola Beauty Queen
She takes a bow; she takes a bow.
In Charles, we climb the hill
and Danville window sill
I take it back; I take it back.
My sister she counts the bars,
the Macon county cars,
She takes a bow; she takes a bow.

The Mississippi amends
the Carver and the bends
This land is yours; this land is mine.
My brother punches my ear.
The injured ivory deer
I call my dad; I call my dad.
We skip inside of the store
the Mason winter door
This land is yours; this land is mine.

There was a car in the bay
by the boat that swept and swayed
Whoever you are in the light
in the water that we made
I'm holding your hand by the shore
With our collars pulled up tight
I'm counting it out
I'm counting it out
I'm working it out inside
I'm counting it out

(This land is not your land
For the right hand takes what it can,
ransacks with the mad man.
For this land is not yours or mine to have.
This land was made for the good of itself.)

I fell in love again
All things go, all things go
Drove to Chicago
All things know, all things know
We sold our clothes to the state
I don't mind, I don't mind
I made a lot of mistakes
In my mind, in my mind

You came to take us
All things go, all things go
To recreate us
All things grow, all things grow
We had our mindset
All things know, all things know
You had to find it
All things go, all things go

I drove to New York
In a van with my friend
We slept in parking lots
I don't mind, I don't mind
I was in love with the place
In my mind, in my mind
I made a lot of mistakes
In my mind, in my mind

You came to take us
All things go, all things go
To recreate us
All things grow, all things grow
We had our mindset
All things know, all things know
You had to find it
All things go, all things go

If I was crying
In the van with my friend
It was for freedom
From myself and from the land
I made a lot of mistakes
I made a lot of mistakes
I made a lot of mistakes
I made a lot of mistakes

You came to take us
All things go, all things go
To recreate us
All things grow, all things grow
We had our mindset
All things know, all things know
You had to find it
All things go, all things go

You came to take us
All things go, all things go
To recreate us
All things grow, all things grow
We had our mindset (I made a lot of mistakes)
All things know, all things know (I made a lot of mistakes)
You had to find it (I made a lot of mistakes)
All things go, all things go (I made a lot of mistakes)

If I am alive this time next year
will I have arrived in time to share?
And mine is about as good this far
And I'm still applied to what you are

And I am joining all my thoughts to you
And I'm preparing every part for you

And I heard from the trees a great parade
And I heard from the hills a band was made
And will I be invited to the sound?
And will I be a part of what you've made?

And I am throwing all my thoughts away
And I'm destroying every bet I've made
And I am joining all my thoughts to you
And I'm preparing every part for you

I can see a lot of life in you
I can see a lot of bright in you
And I think the dress looks nice on you
I can see a lot of life in you

I can see a bed and make it too
I can see a fireside turn blue
And I can see the lot of life in you
Yes, I can see a lot of life in you

When the world looks back
when the face looks after that
I can see a lot of life in you
Yes, I can see a lot of life in you

I can see a lot of life in you
I can see your bed and make it too
And I think the dress looks nice on you
Yes, I can see a lot of life in you

I can see a lot of life in you
Yes, I can see a lot of life in you

Be still and know your sign
The beast will arrive in time
We stayed a long, long time
We stayed a long, long time

To see you
To beat you
To see you
At last

I saw the dragons drying
I saw the witches whine
We stayed a long, long time
But I'm not afraid to die

To see you
To meet you
To see you
At last

I stole my father's shoes
I pulled his pockets too
We stayed a long, long time
We stayed a long, long time

To see you
To beat you
To see you
To meet you

To see you
At last

I'd swim across Lake Michigan
I'd sell my shoes
I'd give my body to be back again
In the rest of the room

To be alone with you
To be alone with you
To be alone with you
To be alone with you

You gave your body to the lonely
They took your clothes
You gave up a wife and a family
You gave your ghost

To be alone with me
To be alone with me
To be alone with me
And went up on a tree

To be alone with me and went up on the tree
I've never known a man who loved me

Abraham
Worth a righteous one
Take up on the wood
Put it on your son

Lake or lamb
There is none to harm
When the angel came
You had raised your arm

Abraham
Put off on your son
Take instead the ram
Until Jesus comes

What the water wants is hurricanes
And sailboats to ride on its back
What the water wants is sun kiss
And land to run into and back

I have a fish stone burning my elbow
Reminding me to know that I'm glad
That I have a bottle filled with my old teeth
They fell out like a tear in the bag

And I have a sister somewhere in Detroit
She has black hair and small hands
And I have a kettledrum
I'll hit the earth with you

And I will crochet you a hat
And I have a red kite
I'll put you right in it
I'll show you the sky

I was the best man in a size too small
You were my best friend, going at it all
And what if I put off my inheritance?
Where is the best man? All arise us all in peace

I still know you
And I still like you, the best man
And I still owe you

Everything rises, going at it all
All the surprises in a size too small
And what if I told you I was still in love with this?
Would you surprise us in a size for all of me?

I still know you
And I still like you, the best man
I still know you, the best man
I still owe you

So faithful, so few
So pardon and done
And when we receive
We give a change at last

And when we are dead, we all have wings
We won't need legs to stand
And when we receive
To see a change at last

Once in the backyard, she was once like me
She was once like me
Twice when I killed them, they were once at peace
They were once like me
Hold to your gun, man and put off all your peace
Put off all the beast

Paid a full of these
I wait for it, but someone's once like me
She was once like me

I once was better, I put off all my grief
I put off all my grief
And so I go to hell, I wait for it but someone's left me creased
And someone's left me creased

He was, he was in the churchyard
My father was in the first part
He came, he came to my bedroom
But I was asleep

And he woke me up again to say...

Halle, halle, hallelujah
Holy, holy is the sound
And I hope, I hope you are tired out
And I know, I know there is joy endowed

But I was asleep
And he woke me up again
And he woke me up again to say...

Hold on, hold on to your old ways
Or put off, put off every old face
And I know, I know you are changed out
And I hope, I hope you're arranged out

But I'm still asleep
And you woke me up again
And I'm still asleep
But you woke me up to be holy

We didn't sleep too late
There was a fire in the yard
All of the tress were in light
They had no faces to show

I saw a sign in the sky
Seven swans, seven swans, seven swans
I heard a voice in my mind
I will try, I will try, I will try

I will try, I will try, I will try

We saw the dragon move down
My father burned into coal
My mother saw it from far
She took her purse to the bed

I saw a sign in the sky
Seven horns, seven horns, seven horns
I heard a voice in my mind
I am Lord, I am Lord, I am Lord

He said, I am Lord, I am Lord, I am Lord
He said, I am Lord, I am Lord, I am Lord

He will take you
If you run, He will chase you
He will take you
If you run, He will chase you

'Cause He is the Lord
'Cause He is the Lord

Seven swans, seven swans, seven swans
Seven swans, seven swans, seven swans

When he took the three disciples to the mountainside to pray
His countenance was modified, his clothing was aflame
Two men appeared, Moses and Elijah came
They were at his side
The prophecy, the legislation spoke
Of whenever he would die

Then there came a word of what he should accomplish on the day
Then Peter spoke, to make of them a tabernacle place
A cloud appeared in glory as an accolade
They fell on the ground
A voice arrived, the voice of God
The face of God covered in a cloud

What he said to them, the voice of God, the most beloved son
Consider what he says to you, consider what's to come
The prophecy was put to death, was put to death
And so will the son
And keep your word, disguise the vision
Till the time has come

Lost in the cloud, a voice
Have no fear, we draw near
Lost in the cloud, a sign
Son of man, turn your ear

Lost in the cloud, a voice
Lamb of God, we draw near
Lost in the cloud, a sign
Son of man, son of God

Lost in the cloud, a voice
Have no fear, we draw near
Lost in the cloud, a sign
Son of man, turn your ear

Lost in the cloud, a voice
Lamb of God, we draw near
Lost in the cloud, a sign
Son of man, son of God

Lost in the cloud, a voice
Have no fear, we draw near
Lost in the cloud, a sign
Son of man, turn your ear

Lost in the cloud, a voice
Lamb of God, we draw near
Lost in the cloud, a sign
Son of man, son of God

"The way I see it," he said
"You just can't win it..
Everybody's in it for their own gain
You can't please 'em all
There's always somebody calling you down
I do my best
And I do good business
There's a lot of people asking for my time
They're trying to get ahead
They're trying to be a good friend of mine

I was a free man in paris
I felt unfettered and alive
There was nobody calling me up for favors
And no one's future to decide
You know I'd go back there tomorrow
But for the work I've taken on
Stoking the star maker machinery
Behind the popular song

I deal in dreamers
And telephone screamers
Lately I wonder what I do it for
If l had my way
I'd just walk through those doors
And wander
Down the champs elysees
Going cafe to cabaret
Thinking how I'll feel when I find
That very good friend of mine

I was a free man in paris
I felt unfettered and alive
Nobody was calling me up for favors
No one's future to decide
You know I'd go back there tomorrow
But for the work I've taken on
Stoking the star maker machinery
Behind the popular song."

If you seek a pillow for your head
Or a fitted sheet for Christmas bed
If you see your shadow on the snow
Is it from the baby Jesus glow?
He's going to the country

Find a tree and put in your house
Put a mistletoe upon your mother's blouse
If you see a woman dressed in black
Give her up a song and then ask for it back
We're going to the country
We're going to the country
You're mom's going to the country
We're going to the country
The country

Lo! How a Rose e'er blooming
From tender stem hath sprung
Of Jesse's lineage coming,
As those of old have sung.

It came a flower bright
Amid the cold of winter
When half-spent was the night.

Isaiah 'twas foretold it,
The Rose I have in mind;
And so then we behold it,
The Virgin Mother kind.

To show God's love aright
She bore to us a Savior
When half-spent was the night.

Since it's Christmas, let's be glad
Even if your life's been bad
There are presents to be had

Take a walk out in the snow
And hear Santa's "Ho ho ho!"
He's got a million miles to go

La la la la la la ah

Sing a carol to your mom
Because she knows what's going on
And she knows if you've been bad or good

And if you get what you deserve
To be graded on the curve
Oh, you got a lot of nerve

La la la la la la ah

Since the year is almost out
Left your hands and give a shout
There's a lot to shout about today

Since it's Christmas, let's be glad
Even if the year's been bad
There are presents to be had
A promotion for your dad
Don't be angry don't be mad

Amazing grace how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I'm found
Was blind but now I see

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

Through many dangers, toils, and snares
I have already come
'Tis grace that brought me safe thus far
And grace will lead me home

When we've been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we first begun

Put the lights on the tree
(Put them on the tree)

Put the ribbon on the wreath
(Put it on the wreath)

Call your grandma on the phone
(Call her on the phone)

If she's living all alone
(If she's all alone)

Tell her Jesus Christ is here
(Tell her He is here)

Tell her she has none to fear
(There is none to fear)

If she's crying on the phone
(Crying on the phone)

Tell her you are coming home
(You are coming home)

La la la la la la la

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy, never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount, I'm fixed upon it
Mount of Thy unchanging love

Here I raise my Ebenezer
Hither by Thy help I come
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be
Let that grace now, like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart, O take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy, never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount, I'm fixed upon it
Mount of Thy unchanging love

I saw three ships come sailing in
On Christmas day, on Christmas day
I saw three ships come sailing in
On Christmas day in the morning.

And what was in those ships all three?
On Christmas day, on Christmas day
And what was in those ships all three?
On Christmas day in the morning.

The Virgin Mary and Christ were there
On Christmas day, on Christmas day
The Virgin Mary and Christ were there
On Christmas day in the morning.

Only to bring you peace
Only at Christmas time
Only the king of kings
Only what once was mine
It takes the end of time
It takes a long long time
Only one thought of mine
Only at Christmas time

He brings us peace
He brings us joy
He brings all thoughts to destroy
Only at Christmas time

To brings us peace
To brings us joy
To brings all thoughts to destroy
Only at Christmas time

Only at Christmas time
Only a tree to climb
Only at Christmas time
If you can read the sign
Only at Christmas time
Everything lost will find
Only at Christmas time
Only at Christmas time

Bring a torch
Jeanette, Isabelle
Bring a torch
Come swiftly and run

Christ is born
Tell the folk of the village
Jesus is sleeping
In his cradle

Ah, ah
Beatiful is the mother
Ah, ah
Beatiful is her Son

Hasten now
Good folk of the village
Hasten now
The Christ child to see

You will find him
Asleep in the manger
Quietly come
Whisper softly

Hush, hush
Peacefully now he slumbers
Hush, hush
Peacefully now he sleeps

Uno, dos, tres, cuatro

Tie up your boots
Jump off the ladder
Pack up your clothes
Nothing's the matter
Mistletoe hangs up in the bedroom
Your sister's bangs
She cut them herself
Santa is here
Sleighbells are ringing
Twenty-one elves
They are all singing
K-Mart is closed
So is the bakery
Everyone's home watching TV

Santa Claus is coming
Hear the banjo strumming

Chestnuts and fire, holly and hay
Jesus and Mary, what a great day
Evergreen tree, covered in snow
Tower of Babel, tower of glow
There's Aunt Marie, hand on the fire
They give us good gifts
Like mittens and socks
Hijack a snow plow
Clear out the streets
Tell all of the neighbors
There's cookies to eat

Get up off the floor and give a shout
There's a lot to shout about
Santa Claus is coming to town
He's got the greatest gifts around
Away in a manger no crib for a bed
The little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head
The stars in the sky looked downward where he lay
The little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

We three kings of Orient are
Bearing gifts we travel afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain
Following yonder star

O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy Perfect Light

Glorious now behold Him arise
King and God and Sacrifice
Alleluia, Alleluia
Earth to heav'n replies

O Star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy perfect light

Oh holy night! The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth!
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!

Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night divine
Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh night divine

Truly He taught us to love one another
His law is love and His gospel is peace
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.

Fall on your knees
Oh hear the angel voices
Oh night divine
Oh night when Christ was born
Oh night divine
Oh night divine

Going outside
Shoveling snow in the driveway, driveway
Taking our shoes
Riding a sled down the hillside, hillside
Can you say what you want?
Can you say what you want to be?
Can you be what you want?
Can you be what you want?

Our father yells
Throwing gifts in the wood stove, wood stove
My sister runs away
Taking her books to the schoolyard, schoolyard
In time the snow will rise
In time the snow will rise
In time the Lord will rise
In time the Lord will rise

Silent night
Holy night
Silent night
Nothing feels right

One mother rises
Pulling the sheets from the crib
All the disguises
Wandering stars, what she did
All the kings horns, all the kings horns
Saddled and worn
Raise the dead
Holy and infant
He came to raise up the dead

Wandering wisemen
What did you bring to his bed
Shapeless surprises
Incense to bring to the dead
Nothing is wrong, it's what she did
All the kings horns and kings men
Nothing is wrong its what she did
All the kings horns and kings men

Nothing is wrong its what she did
All the kings horns raise the dead
Nothing is wrong its what she did
All the kings horns

Jesus our brother, strong and good
Was humbly born in a stable rude
And the friendly beasts around Him stood
Jesus our brother, strong and good

"I," said the donkey, shaggy and brown
"I carried His mother up hill and down
I carried His mother to Bethlehem town"
"I," said the donkey, shaggy and brown

"I," said the cow, all white and red
"I gave Him my manger for His bed
I gave Him my hay to pillow His head"
"I," said the cow, all white and red

"I," said the sheep with curly horn
"I gave Him my wool for His blanket warm
He wore my coat on Christmas morn"
"I," said the sheep with curly horn

"I," said the dove from the rafters high
"I cooed Him to sleep so that He would not cry
We cooed Him to sleep, my mate and I"
"I," said the dove from the rafters high

Thus every beast by some good spell
In the stable dark was glad to tell
Of the gift he gave Emmanuel
The gift he gave Emmanuel

Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum
A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum

So to honor Him, pa rum pum pum pum
When we come

Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give our King, pa rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum

Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum
On my drum?

Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum
The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum
Rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum

Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum

Away in a manger,
no crib for a bed
The little Lord Jesus
laid down his sweet head

The stars in the sky
looked down where he lay
The little Lord Jesus
asleep on the hay

The cattle are lowing,
the baby awakes,
But little Lord Jesus,
no crying he makes

I love thee, Lord Jesus;
look down from the sky
And stay by my cradle
until morning is night

Be near me, be near me,
Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus,
I ask you to stay

Close by me, close by me
Forever, Forever,
and love me, I pray
and love me, I pray
and love me, I pray

We can walk out after dark,
Because it's Christmas time
Colored lights glow from the park,
Because it's Christmas time.
And the bells on the reindeer sled say,
It's Christmas time
And the quilt on the back of the bed say,
It's Christmas time

I think about how we could run away,
Now that it's Christmas time
We travel in a one horse open sleigh,
Now that it's Christmas time

There's your father with his pipe,
He says it's Christmas time
He might let us stay up all night,
Because it's Christmas time
I might wish you all the best
Because it's Christmas time
I might kiss you on the back of your neck
Because it's Christmas time

I think about how we could run away,
Now that it's Christmas time
We travel in a one horse open sleigh,
Now that it's Christmas time

It's Christmas time

I know whatcha doing to me boy,
You move so fast like a psychopathic color TV,
With your Christmas bag and your jolly face,
And the reindeer stompin' all over the place

Take it easy, what ya gotta be so absurd?
You make it sound like Christmas is a four-letter word
Its a fact of life whether you like or not,
So put your hands together and give it a shot

I hope that you take it to heart boy,
It's Christmas time, ain't no clowning around
And if you think you got something to prove boy,
Santa Claus is coming to town

I don't care about family and shopping malls,
Candy canes or the carolers decking the halls
I don't care about what you say Santa Claus
You're a bad brother breaking into people's garage
Jeez!

You got it wrong,
'Cause I'm just another regular guy,
Super powers and a penchant for the Yuletime
Is it a crime to give a little once in awhile,
I travel 'round the world trying to make people smile

I know that you take it too hard boy,
It's Christmas time, ain't no clowning around
And if you think you got something to prove boy,
Santa Claus is coming to town

C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S

Christmastime, Christmastime,
Christmastime,
Magic of Christmas,
Christmas, Christmastime,
Christmastime,
Have a good time!

If I missed my chance, I didn't even try
I'm not one to regret Christmas in July
If my timing is bad, like a fish on a bike,
Would you let me pretend: Christmas in July?

I'm not one to admit; I'm not one to fight,
Maybe I was wrong, or maybe I was right
Like when I went to school, drinking coffee at night,
And I did what I did; now I do what I like

Open the champagne, party and pensive
Your mother said it's very expensive
Do what you want to, don't even ask us
Paraguay, Boston, Philly, Damascus

Maybe its the snow, the endless winter nights
And the winter coat, the one you never liked
But I'll take the sun and I'll take my kite,
Christmas on the beach, Christmas in July
And I love my friends, even if they fight
Christmas in July, just to keep them quiet
And I love you too, I love you through the night
But now that you're away, Christmas isn't right

Don't take offenses; come to your senses,
Your confidence is straddling fences

If I miss my chance, I didn't even try
I'm not one to regret Christmas in July

Oh Father Christmas,
Come to us, come to us
Perfect and with us,
Come to us, come to us

Oh Mother Mary,
Celebrate, celebrate
Brave sanctuary,
Come to us, come to us

Explorations end in Christ,
Decorations left behind,
Where will you go, where will you go,
where will you go?
Troubled heart, troubled heart, here with all

Oh Christian winter,
Call to us, call to us
Jupiter Winter,
Regulus, Regulus

Oh star of wisdom,
Light of life, light of life
Casperous prism,
Bride of life, bride of life

Disappointment to be had,
Hold your temper too my friend,
Where will you go, where will you go, where will you go?
Troubled heart, troubled heart, here with all

Oh my friends I've
Begun to worry right
Where I should be grateful
I should be satisfied

Oh my heart I
Would clap and dance in place
With my friends I have so
Much pleasure to embrace

But my heart is
Returned to sister winter
But my heart is
As cold as ice

Oh my thoughts I
Return to summer time
When I kissed your ankle
I kissed you through the night

All my gifts I gave everything to you
Your strange imagination
You threw it all away

Now my heart is
Returned to sister winter
Now my heart is
As cold as ice

All my friends, I've
Returned to sister winter
All my friends, I
Apologise, apologise

All my friends, I've
Returned to sister winter
All my friends, I
Apologise, apologise

All my friends, I've
Returned to sister winter
All my friends, I
Apologise, apologise

La la la la la...

And my friends, I've
Returned to wish you all the best
And my friends, I've
Returned to wish you all the best
And my friends, I've
Returned to wish you all the best
And my friends, I've
Returned to wish you a Happy Christmas

To wish you a Happy Christmas
To wish you a Happy Christmas
To wish you a Happy Christmas

I call you
From the comet's cradle
I found you
Trembling by yourself
When the night falls
Lightly on your right-wing shoulder
Wonderful know-it-all
Slightly where the night gets colder

Oh, conscience,
Where will you carry me?
I found you
Star of terrifying effigies
When the night falls
I carry myself to the fortress
Of your glorious cost
Oh, I may seek your fortress

When the night falls
We see the star of wonder
Wonderful night falls
We see you
We see you

I see the stars coming down there
Coming down there to the yard
I see the stars coming down there
Coming down there to my heart

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
Early in the morning
our song shall rise to thee
There is a sign at the sight of theee,
Merciful and mighty
God in three Persons,
God in three Persons,
Blessed Trinity

Holy, holy, holy!
Though the darkness hide thee,
Though the eye of sinful man
Thy glory may not see;
Only Thou art holy;
There is none beside thee,
Perfect in power
Perfect in power
In love, and purity

Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty!
All thy works shall praise thy Name, in
Earth, and sky, and sea
There is a sign at the sight of theee,
There is none beside thee,
God in three Persons,
God in three Persons,
God in three Persons,
God in three Persons,
Blessed Trinity

I call ye cabin neighbors
I call you once my friends
But I trust when you labor
And put my head to rest

But I was on the hatch
I was on the avalanche
And I had found my match
I was on the floor

I took a train from Virginia
To Illinois, my home
He said “I knew you had it in ya"
A mind to make its own

But I was on the hatch
Riding on the avalanche
I tried to take it back
I was on the floor

Come on, Stone!
Come on, Star!
Come on, Snow!
Come on, Car!
Come on, Hands!
Come on, Feet!
Come on, Face!
Come on, Street!
Come on, State!
Come on, Song!
Move it fast! (Take it up)
Move it along! (The Ohio River)
Come on, Life! (Take it up)
Come on, Lord! (Take it over)
Make it right! (To the Mississippi)
Make it Yours!

Oh my God
I can't believe it
What went wrong?
The human race, in its place
Superstition man's religion
And conditioned mysteries incomplete
And the raven with its haven
Gods-in-graven
Girls and boys Illinois
Springfield with its freak and banter
Strike the cantor
God is dead, God is dead

Oh my God I can't believe it
What went wrong?
The human race, in its place
In religion, superstition
Man's conditoined mysteries incomplete

(Superman, Old machines
Kind as that, Energenes
Good as dead, Man-Machines
Computer, effigy
Sound the horn, make the bed
Pull the cord, raise the dead
In my car, on this street
On this earth, on this feet)

Take it for a patient man I caught it
Patient is the kind that gets you paid
Even if I had, man, I got it
Seems I never had it anyway
Sometimes it may seem your best intentions
Take off with a fever anyway

1-2-3-4-5-6-7 All computers go to heaven
If you think you got the vision,
Put it in the conversation
1-2-3-4-5-6-7 All computers go to heaven
If you think you got the vision,
Put it in the conversation

I rejoice in what I carry in my heart
it overwelms what a man
Great Emancipation plans,
and public transport, clap your hands, Abraham
Oh religion, superstition,
Man's conditioned mysteries incomplete
Oh the Raven with its haven
Gods-in-graven
All is dead, all is dead

Righteous men of the earth
Oh, have you been patient
I suppose our thoughts about United Nations

Adlai, Adlai
What did he say
And what is the answer?

1952, the heart was not your master
The accident you threw
Would carry through your laughter

Evidence, evidence
I've heard of it
And what is the answer?

Adlai, Adlai
Your holiday
The greatest of men, sir

Adlai, Adlai
What did he say
And what is the answer?

I fell in love again
All things go, all things go
Drove to Chicago
All things know, all things know
We sold our clothes to the state
I don't mind, I don't mind
I made a lot of mistakes
In my mind, in my mind

You came to take us
All things go, all things go
To recreate us
All things grow, all things grow
We had our mindset
All things know, all things know
You had to find it
All things go, all things go

I drove to New York
In a van with my friend
We slept in parking lots
I don't mind, I don't mind
I was in love with the place
In my mind, in my mind
I made a lot of mistakes
In my mind, in my mind

You came to take us
All things go, all things go
To recreate us
All things grow, all things grow
We had our mindset
All things know, all things know
You had to find it
All things go, all things go

If I was crying
In the van with my friend
It was for freedom
From myself and from the land
I made a lot of mistakes
I made a lot of mistakes
I made a lot of mistakes
I made a lot of mistakes

You came to take us
All things go, all things go
To recreate us
All things grow, all things grow
We had our mindset
All things know, all things know
You had to find it
All things go, all things go

You came to take us
All things go, all things go
To recreate us
All things grow, all things grow
We had our mindset (I made a lot of mistakes)
All things know, all things know (I made a lot of mistakes)
You had to find it (I made a lot of mistakes)
All things go, all things go (I made a lot of mistakes)

Oh life, with your shoulders in the mirror
From the park when Dakota ran and brought you there
In the car when your mother lost her temper
The catalog and the catastrophic smile

Let the bugles play the sermon on the raid
I kissed you on the face
I kissed you on the playground

Oh Father John, you cannot tell me
What's right and wrong
You cannot tell me
I jump before I get around you
Oh Father John

Pick it up with the band on the Ronald Reagan Tollway
(Don't give up, let's go forget about yourself)

Illinois in it ran from the Ronald Reagan Tollway
Forget about yourself and all your plans

Oh life, with your colorful surprises
Eleanor, how you put one on disguises

Oh Father John, you cannot tell me
What's right and wrong
You cannot tell me

In the mortal life
Far in the morning light
We're back from Bloomington
We let the runners win

Far in the morning light
We let the movies play
A weekend from the holiday

Pick it up with the band
On the Ronald Reagan toll way
(Don't break down, let's go: forget about yourself)

Illinois in it ran from the Ronald Reagan toll way
(If I'm wrong makes nothing right about yourself)

Snowmobile on the field where the gunners throw their weight around
Forget about yourself and all your plans

Oh, stop thinking of tomorrow
Don't stop thinking of today
You're not getting any younger
You've got nothing to explain
You've got resolutions
Fastening in your wake
Take instead the high tide
At the man-made lake
It may take a while
It may take all day
All the implications
At the man-made lake
Oh stop thinking of tomorrow...

I don't care to say what
I failed to recognize
Every single day from the poker to the prize
Running out of Springfield
I worked for the Capitol Air, in the bags
Found a woman there who said
she had a mind to make
me a messenger man

If my father took his life
for the national plan, I don't care
I'm not about to stick my grave with an
apron and a bucket of plans, never ever
I can take the pillow cases
off the yellow pillows,
make a property line from the bed
In the living room, the living room,
the morning papers made the most
out of nothing at all

So we took the room
with a view of the runaway
I took off my clothes,
and she took it for a holiday
I was taken for all the things
that I never had before
Running out of Springfield
she left me with a note saying:
"Bobby, don't look back."

And if my wife took a bicycle ride
with a knife in her hand
I saw it coming
All the shad-flies run at once
with a trumpet or a train,
oh I'm running from it

Wait a minute, wait a minute,
Give a minute, lady
I can explain the aftershave
Wait a minute, wait a minute,
give a minute
Bobby got a shad fly
caught in his hair

And the winter moves about Illinois
When my sister picks a fight
With the Alexander boy
And my father locks the car by the store
Still we figure out the keys
And follow him once more
Oh my God, we see it on the floor
The woman on the bed
The ankle brace she wore
Stones and sled
It could have been some other
The mind that knows itself
Has a mind to serve the other
But we run back, scratching at the door
Scratching at the door

If I'm hiding in the sleeves of my coat
When my father runs undressed
He's pointing at my throat
And my brother has fit in the snow
And the traffic stops for miles
We take him by the elbow
Oh my God, the shuffling and the floor
A mind that knows itself
Is a mind that knows much more
So we run back, scrambling for cover
The mind that knows itself
Has a mind to kill the other
(Oh my God, no one came to our side
To carry us away from danger)

Oh my God
He left us now for dead
He left us now for dead

I fell in love again
All things go, all things go
Drove to Chicago
All things know, all things know
We sold our clothes to the state
I don't mind, I don't mind
I made a lot of mistakes
In my mind, in my mind

You came to take us
All things go, all things go
To recreate us
All things grow, all things grow
We had our mindset
All things know, all things know
You had to find it
All things go, all things go

I drove to New York
In a van with my friend
We slept in parking lots
I don't mind, I don't mind
I was in love with the place
In my mind, in my mind
I made a lot of mistakes
In my mind, in my mind

You came to take us
All things go, all things go
To recreate us
All things grow, all things grow
We had our mindset
All things know, all things know
You had to find it
All things go, all things go

If I was crying
In the van with my friend
It was for freedom
From myself and from the land
I made a lot of mistakes
I made a lot of mistakes
I made a lot of mistakes
I made a lot of mistakes

You came to take us
All things go, all things go
To recreate us
All things grow, all things grow
We had our mindset
All things know, all things know
You had to find it
All things go, all things go

You came to take us
All things go, all things go
To recreate us
All things grow, all things grow
We had our mindset (I made a lot of mistakes)
All things know, all things know (I made a lot of mistakes)
You had to find it (I made a lot of mistakes)
All things go, all things go (I made a lot of mistakes)

Up in the highest of heights
O'Hara blinks and fights
This land is yours; this land is mine.
I see the Captain in red,
and Cairo at his head.
This land is yours; this land is mine.

The lightning over the park,
the waters--brash and dark
We take a swim; we take a swim.
I never meant to escape
the carpet and the trade
This land is yours; this land is mine.

And when I make up my mind
I change it all the time
I take it back; I take it back.
The numbers over the dam,
Jo Davies and the band,
I count them out; I count them out.

There was a car in the bay
by the boat that swept and swayed
Whoever you are in the light
in the water that we made
I'm counting it out
I'm counting it out
I'm working it out inside
I'm counting it out
to the floor

The ferry hatches Moline
Panola Beauty Queen
She takes a bow; she takes a bow.
In Charles, we climb the hill
and Danville window sill
I take it back; I take it back.
My sister she counts the bars,
the Macon county cars,
She takes a bow; she takes a bow.

The Mississippi amends
the Carver and the bends
This land is yours; this land is mine.
My brother punches my ear.
The injured ivory deer
I call my dad; I call my dad.
We skip inside of the store
the Mason winter door
This land is yours; this land is mine.

There was a car in the bay
by the boat that swept and swayed
Whoever you are in the light
in the water that we made
I'm holding your hand by the shore
With our collars pulled up tight
I'm counting it out
I'm counting it out
I'm working it out inside
I'm counting it out

(This land is not your land
For the right hand takes what it can,
ransacks with the mad man.
For this land is not yours or mine to have.
This land was made for the good of itself.)

All things past in the pick-up
Found my brother's badge
Abraham is live and well in the pick-up
And his wife casts no more spells
In the pick-up

Found myself in the pick-up
Seatbelt on my lap
And my sister with her braids
In the pick-up
Kissed my mother on the face
In the pick-up
Clapping with the human race
In the pick-up

I fell in love again
All things go, all things go
Drove to Chicago
All things know, all things know
We sold our clothes to the state
I don't mind, I don't mind
I made a lot of mistakes
In my mind, in my mind

You came to take us
All things go, all things go
To recreate us
All things grow, all things grow
We had our mindset
All things know, all things know
You had to find it
All things go, all things go

I drove to New York
In a van with my friend
We slept in parking lots
I don't mind, I don't mind
I was in love with the place
In my mind, in my mind
I made a lot of mistakes
In my mind, in my mind

You came to take us
All things go, all things go
To recreate us
All things grow, all things grow
We had our mindset
All things know, all things know
You had to find it
All things go, all things go

If I was crying
In the van with my friend
It was for freedom
From myself and from the land
I made a lot of mistakes
I made a lot of mistakes
I made a lot of mistakes
I made a lot of mistakes

You came to take us
All things go, all things go
To recreate us
All things grow, all things grow
We had our mindset
All things know, all things know
You had to find it
All things go, all things go

You came to take us
All things go, all things go
To recreate us
All things grow, all things grow
We had our mindset (I made a lot of mistakes)
All things know, all things know (I made a lot of mistakes)
You had to find it (I made a lot of mistakes)
All things go, all things go (I made a lot of mistakes)

I'm not afraid of you now, I know
So I climbed down from the bunk beds this low

I can talk back to you now, I know
From a few things I learned from this TV show

You can work late till midnight, we don't care
We can fix our own meals, we can wash our own hair

I go to school before sunrise, in the cold
And I pulled the alarm, and I kicked up the salad bowls

Since the time we meant to say much
Unsaid things begin to take their toll
After school we shoveled through the snow
Drive upstate in silence in the cold

You can remind me of it
That I was lazy and tired
You can work all your life as
I'm not afraid of you anymore

If I loved you a long time, I don't know
If I can't recall the last time you told me so

Here in this house in Pittsfield
The ghost of our grandmother works at the sewing machine post
Hiding the bills in the kitchen on the floor
And my sister lost her best friend in the Persian Gulf War
There was a flood in the bathroom last May
And you kicked at the pipes when it rattled oh the river it made

Stand there, tell me that I'm of no use
Things unspoken break us if we share
There's still time to wash the kitchen floor
On your knees, at the sink once more
You can remind me that I was tired
You can work late and give yourself up
Now that I'm older, wiser, and working less
I don't regret having left the place a mess

You can remind me that I was lazy and tired
You can recall your life as
I'm not afraid of you, anymore
Anymore

All good thoughts in spite of righteousness
Is not the kind of thoughts in spite of greatness
Often not the state is advocation
If we form a power of recognition

Forget loss and perfect advocation
If it drops or stays in convocation
All we praise is all we want in commerce
All we praise is parties, foreign commerce
Entertain ideas of great communion
Shelter not materials in union
(All we praise is not the kind of commerce
That's the right solution!)

All good thoughts is not the act of doing
What we want but what we should improving
Properties, ideas, a woman's pleasure
Is empowered by love, a perfect measure!

Demonstrate I was
raised from the start
By a priest and
the maid on the part.
Still know what
to wear on my back:
Michigan!
Ponshewaing!
Cadillac!

If I ever meant to go away
I was raised, I was reaised
In the place, in the place.
Still I often think of going back
To the farms, to the farms
Golden arms, golden arms
start to remind me.

If the lakes took
the place of the sea.
If the cars drove
themselves, way to be!
Opposite the trains moving in
Rivers run interstate, Michigan!

Still I never meant to go away
I was raised, I was raised
In the place, in the place.
Still I often think of going back
To the farms, to the farms
Golden arms, golden arms.
Tried to change the
Made in Michigan
I was raised, I was raised
In the place, in the place,
part to remind me

I live in America with a pair of Payless shoes
The Upper Peninsula and the television news
I've seen my wife at the K-Mart
In strange ideas we live apart

I live in a trailer home with a snowmobile, my car
The window is broken out and the interstate is far
I drove all night to find my child
In strange ideas he's been revived

In strange ideas, in stranger times
I've no idea what's right sometimes
I lost my mind, I lost my life
I lost my job, I lost my wife