Sufjan Stevens
"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!
Carptenter and Soldier, one on one
It's the battle, volunteer!

Run from yourself,
from your friends, from ya--
Run for your life,
for your friends, for ya--
American, merica, meri--
Oh Illinois, Illinois, Illi--

The prairie, the frontier,
the perfect farm, it's from here
The fortress, the faker, the cornerstone, the baker
The dancer, the fisher, audition and the disher
The boxer, the fetcher,
the chewing gum, dream cather

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--
Run for your life!
For your friends, for ya--
America, merica, meri--
Oh Illinois, Illinois, Illi--

The mattress, the floozies,
the actress at the movies
The lantern, the lotion,
the wind that wakes the ocean
The Standard Edition,
the architect's rendition
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
Oh Great Goodman, King of Swingers
Oh Great Bears and Bulls, Joe Jackson
Oh Great Illinois

GIven what you lost, are you better off?
GIver what you had, has it made you mad?
Celebrate the few. Celebrate the new.