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All Delighted People EP

by Sufjan Stevens

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Angkasawan
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Angkasawan It may not be a full-fledged LP, but All Delighted People is probably my favourite of Sufjan's works. Without an overaching album theme to tie the songs together, it felt like Sufjan was free to experiment on each track and give them their own unique sound. And because of that (and Sufjan's talent), every track on there is a standout track. Favorite track: Enchanting Ghost.
Owen Farmer
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Owen Farmer A collection of astoundingly beautiful tracks that have little to do with eachother, yet I cannot stop listening to them despite that. Every song on this EP are phenomenal but The Owl And The Tanager takes the cake for me, just in its theatrical and personal style alone. Favorite track: Arnika.
Benjamin
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Benjamin I adore this EP. Sorely underrated and often looked over but it's truly got some special moments. Also, get the vinyl! It has exclusive piano music on the D-side! Favorite track: Enchanting Ghost.
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1.
Tomorrow you’ll see it through The clouded out disguises put you in the room And though I wandered out alone A thousand lights abounded on our home And I remember every sound it made The clouded out disguises and the grave So yeah I know I’m still afraid Of letting go of choices I have made All delighted people raise their hands And I took you by the sleeve No other reason than to be leading your leading man And you woke up with a fright Our lives depended on the visions through the night All we had always, all we had always wanted to before The hurricane inclined us, grappling on the floor All delighted people raise their hands Still the force of nature spurned Ideas of strength and style abated by the burning basement All delight people raise their hands I’m not easily confused The trouble with the storm inside us grew But I had so much to give In spite of all the terror and abuse And the people bowed and prayed And what difference does it make for you and me? All delighted people raise their hands And the people bowed and prayed And what difference does it make? It doesn’t matter anyway The world surrounds us with its hate Hello darkness my old friend it breaks my heart I’ve come to strangle you in spite of what you’d like And don’t be a rascal, don’t be a laughing dog in spite of odds All I’m deciphering from the spirits in the light within All delighted people raise their hands In restless dreams I walked alone I walked alive The clouded out disguises left me in a dream of lightness All delighted people raise their hands And the people bowed and prayed To the neon god they made And what difference does it make? I love you so much anyway And on your breast I gently laid Your arms surround me in the lake I am joined with you forever And the people bowed and prayed And what difference does it make for you and me? All delighted people raise their hands I’m not easily confused I feel alive I feel it glowing in the room All delighted people raise their hands…. And the people bowed and prayed Oh I love you a lot; Oh! I love you from the top of my heart And what difference does it make? I still love you a lot; Oh! I love you from the top of my heart And on your breast I gently laid all my head in your arms Do you love me from the top of your heart? I tried my best I tried in vain. Do you love me a lot? Do you love me from the top of your heart? And the people bowed and prayed Oh! I love you a lot; Oh! I love you from the top of my heart And you can see through my mistakes Oh! I’ll tell it to you now; Oh! I’ll tell it from the top of my heart And what difference does it make If the world is a mess; if the world is a mess? And on your breast I gently laid Oh! I’ll tell it to you now; Oh! I’ll tell it to you now (When the world’s come and gone shall we follow our transgressions Or shall we stand strong?) I tried to save the things I made Oh! But the world is a mess, Oh! But the world is a mess And what difference does it make if the world is a mess? If the world is a mess! I tried my best I tried in vain Oh! But the world is a mess! Oh! But the world is a mess! (Suffer not the child among you or shall you die young…)
2.
Tell me what you saw in me And I’ll try to replicate it with a scene Mm-mmm If it troubles you to breathe Wait a moment; I could change the scenery Don’t carry on carrying efforts, no no, oh oh oh oh Somewhere there’s a room for each of us to grow And if it pleases you to leave me, just go, oh oh oh oh Stopping you would stifle your enchanting ghost Mm-mmm It’s only that I meant to bring Love and liveliness to your breast on the scene Mm-mmm Did you cut your hands on me? Are my edges sharp? Am I pest to feed? Don’t carry on carrying regrets, oh no oh oh oh Somewhere there’s a room for us to speak alone And if it grieves you to stay here, just go, oh oh oh oh For I have no spell on you, it’s all a ghost Mm-mmm I still have the things you gave Four anointing oils, the paper weight you made Mm-mmm For sure I haven’t carried them Or buried them in the name of your ghost, my friend Don’t carry on carrying efforts: Don’t go! No oh oh oh Stay with me until I sleep within your host Or if it pleases you to leave me, just go, oh oh oh oh Stopping you would stifle your enchanting ghost Mm-mmm
3.
Heirloom 02:55
When your heirloom’s wilted brown When the devil’s pushing down When your mourning has a sound And you hesitate to laugh How quickly will your joy pass How quickly will your joy pass And when you walk inside I feel the door I’ll never let it push your arms no more And when your legs give out just lie right down And I will kiss you till your breath is found And when you walk inside I feel the door I’ll never let it push your arms no more So do you think I came to fight? And do I always think I’m right? Oh no I never meant to be a pest to anyone this time Oh no I only meant to be a friend to everyone this time
4.
Desperate measures lead to death From the mouth of Gabriel Who died in his sleep when the world was a very big mess A very big mess; he saw too much From now on I will look away from every accident That may or may not come my way Saw you were talking up above the Aleph room Masquerading as a loom Both of us saw things No one else would see as well From the mouth of Gabriel No one else would hear as well From the mouth of Gabriel, etc. Don’t be so sure of what you feel (it might as well be trouble) From now on just let the universe be your shelter from the enemy Your face has changed I hardly know who you are this time And what a mess I’ve made of you You probably would but I won’t let you run away You probably should but I won’t let you run away this time Don’t be afraid of loneliness some refugee beside itself Instead of what you’ve got You probably would but I won’t let you go away You probably should but I won’t let you go away this time Your face has changed I hardly know who you are this time And when I came into your room You tried to jump Now I know this is strange to hear from the mouth of God It was something like a scene from mars In a struggle between loves and lies The angel kept his face covered for to keep his word And while I spoke something left from my life Forget about the past Be at rest I’ll make things right And while I held you at best you nearly died Forget about the past And I’ll try to make things right
5.
All I had hoped for I kept inside your car The rabbit in the barn Most of all I wait I wait beside the door; I wait beside the door All I was wrong trembling in the cage I was diamonds in the cage In seven hours I consider death And your father called to yell at me You little boy, you little boy Found out you cheated me I ran behind the barn and cut my hands somehow Blood in the meadowlark I punched your ears instead I punched you in the head You only laughed and laughed and laughed How I was wrong tingling from the kill Tickle me until you devil bird you evil still Slept on my arms, I was sleeping in the sill I was sleeping in the room with you You little boy, you little boy How could you run from me now? The loneliest chime in the house The loneliest chime in the house You let it out you let it out Come to me Calvary still I’m weeding and raking until I’m bleeding in spite of my love for you It bruised and bruised my will Counting alluvial plains The breathing inside of the range You touched me inside of my cage Beneath my shirt your hands embraced me Come to me feathered and frayed For I am the ugliest prey, For I am the ugliest prey The owl, the reckless reckless praise. You said you’d wait for me Down by Tannery Creek Far out by the roadside where we used to kiss behind the sheets Wrapped in a blanket of red The Owl and the Tanager said The Owl and the Tanager said One waits until the hour is death
6.
7.
Arnika 05:13
Arnica might take out the throes that I threw in my head Bruno, your wife shakes her bedclothes as she makes up the bed I’m tired of life; I’m tired of waiting for someone I’m tired of prices; I’m tired of waiting for something I have a right to know what’s in store; to know what should be said Could I have it all for a night to have slept in the warmth of your bed? I’m tired of life; I’m tired of waiting for someone I’m tired of prices; I’m tired of waiting for something I’m tired of life; I’m tired of life, etc. Oh be patient with me; for the night weighs on my chest with a terrible storm Though we may disagree on how things should be done on how crisis is born Don’t consider it done wait until Leviathan lovingly creeps in your sill For he waits in the dark, brooding magically; mustering paperback feelings No I’m not afraid of death or strife or injury, accidents, they are my friends…
8.
Djohariah 17:02
I know you won’t get very far With the back seat driver in the carpetbagger With the dagger heart grabber stuck in your car And the yard is grown to a hilt And the money spent money spent where it went Embarrassment, embarrassment to pay for the car And the man who left you for dead He’s the heart grabber back stabber double cheater wife beater You don’t need that man in your life And you worked yourself to the bone While the people say what they say It’s the neighbors anyway They don’t know what’s good for your life And I see your head hangs low In the black shadow, half shadow Living room is fitting is sitting room is fit for your crying Don’t be ashamed—don’t hide in your room For the woman is, woman is the glorious victorious The mother of the heart of the world Djohariah Djohariah, etc. And the time you held to the light When water ran water ran with the strange attic And when the walls were wet with your life And you pushed yourself to the floor And the spirit went where it went Hovering discovering uncovering your life, on the floor And the walls were wet with your love For the mother is, the mother is the glorious victorious The mother of the heart of the world Don’t be ashamed, don’t hide from me now For the woman is the woman is the glorious victorious The mother of the heart of the world Djohariah Djohariah, etc. Don’t be ashamed, don’t cry in the bath For it’s the story of, story of, morning glory story It’s the gloriole that comes to your path There is a time when the lights will arise For the mother is, the mother is the glorious victorious The mother of the heart of the world Go on! Little sister! Go on! For your world is yours, world is yours All the wilderness of world is yours to enjoy Go on! Little sister! Go on! Little sister! For your world is yours, world is yours All the wilderness of world is yours Go on! Little sister! Go on! Little sister! For your world is yours, world is yours All the wilderness of world is yours Go on! Little sister! Go on! For you’re beautiful, beautiful All the fullness of the world is yours

about

All Delighted People is built around two different versions of Sufjan’s long-form epic ballad "All Delighted People," a dramatic homage to the Apocalypse, existential ennui, and Paul Simon’s "Sounds of Silence." Sounds delightful, yes! The song was originally workshopped on Sufjan’s previous tour in the fall of 2009. Other songs on the EP include the 17-minute guitar jam-for-single-mothers "Djohariah," and the gothic piano ballad "The Owl and the Tanager," a live-show mainstay (and Debbie Downer if you ask us; what’s it doing on a "Delighted" EP?).

Raise Your Hands!

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released August 20, 2010

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Sufjan Stevens New York, New York

Sufjan Stevens is a singer-songwriter living in New York City.

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