There is not a lot known about the background of Sufjan Steven’s song “Casimir Pulaski Day”. Whether completely fictional, or based on some form of personal experience, the song easily resonates with the listener.

Like many contemporary songs that speak of a loved one dying, there is a large element of questioning and doubt etched in between the lines. The inner turmoil between the singer and his faith become more of a theme than even the death of the loved one.

If you are unfamiliar with Sufjan’s work, you’re not alone. Born in Petoskey, Michigan in 1975, he is considered a part of the indie folk/pop culture. He has only broken out occasionally into mainstream in the last several years. You can learn more about him here.

The title for the song comes from the day the singer’s friend dies, the first Monday of March, which happens to be Casimir Pulaski Day. Haven’t heard of this one? Illinois is the only state that currently celebrates this holiday.

The song tells the story of a girlfriend, perhaps, who is diagnosed with bone cancer. Take a minute to listen and read through the lyrics:

“Golden rod and the 4-H stone

The things I brought you

When I found out you had cancer of the bone

Your father cried on the telephone

And he drove his car to the Navy yard

Just to prove that he was sorry

In the morning through the window shade

When the light pressed up against your shoulder blade

I could see what you were reading

Oh the glory that the lord has made

And the complications you could do without

When I kissed you on the mouth

Tuesday night at the bible study

We lift our hands and pray over your body

But nothing ever happens

I remember at Michael’s house

In the living room when you kissed my neck

And I almost touched your blouse

In the morning at the top of the stairs

When your father found out what we did that night

And you told me you were scared

Oh the glory when you ran outside

With your shirt tucked in and your shoes untied

And you told me not to follow you

Sunday night when I cleaned the house

I find the card where you wrote it out

With the pictures of your mother

On the floor at the great divide

With my shirt tucked in and my shoes untied

I am crying in the bathroom

In the morning when you finally go

And the nurse runs in with her head hung low

And the cardinal hits the window

In the morning in the winter shade

On the first of March on the holiday

I thought I saw you breathing

Oh the glory that the lord has made

And the complications when I see his face 

In the morning in the window

Oh the glory when he took our place

But he took my shoulders and he shook my face

And he takes and he takes and he takes”

There are so many touching things about this song. There’s vulnerability in the storyteller’s words, letting us glimpse such intimate moments. Did you notice, the moment of her death a cardinal smacks into the glass window of her room, is it irony, symbolism? Maybe both. Birds have long symbolized the souls of the departed. Here is an entire post devoted to the subject to check out.

Can you feel the struggle of faith throughout the song? It is blatant at times, like the phrase “pray over your body, but nothing ever happens”, but more often subtle. For instance, most of the stanzas that start with “oh the glory that the lord has made” end with a contrasting sentiment, complications, doubt and even loss.

I think this song does such a nice job of capturing the grieving process. Isn’t it often about remembering, i.e. those little snippets we get of her life? But it’s also about processing and questioning. Even the ending is apropos; the grief isn’t all packaged up and done with, but still ever present, as the singer repeats his lament to God that “he takes and he takes and he takes”.

Works: Steven, Sufjan “Casimir Pulaski Day” Illinois (2005) Asthmatic Kitty

Cross published at http://arts.pallimed.org/2008/05/casimir-pulaski-day.html