The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders (Part I: The Great Frontier — Part II: Come to Me Only with Playthings Now)
Producer
The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders (Part I: The Great Frontier — Part II: Come to Me Only with Playthings Now) Lyrics
[Sufjan Stevens]
I count the days the Great Frontier
Forgiving, faced the seventh year
I stand in awe of gratefulness
I can and call forgetfulness
[Sufjan Stevens & Shara Worden]
And when I, and when I call
The Patient, the Patient fall
The Spirit, the Carpenter
Invites us to be with her
[The Illinoisemaker Choir]
What have we become America?
Soldiers on the Great Frontier
Carpenter and soldier, one on one
It’s the battle, volunteer
[The Illinoisemaker Choir & (Shara Worden)]
The prairie, the frontier, the perfect farm, it’s from here
(Run from yourself, from your friends)
The fortress, the faker, the cornerstone, the baker
(Run for your life, for your friends)
The dancer, the fisher, audition and the disher
(America)
The boxer, the fetcher, the chewing gum, dream catcher
(Oh, Illinois)
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
[Sufjan Stevens & Shara Worden]
And when I, and when I call
The Patient, the Patient fall
The Spirit, the Carpenter
Invites us to be with her
[Sufjan Stevens & Tom Eaton]
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!
[Shara Worden & The Illinoisemaker Choir]
What have we become America?
Soldiers on the Great Frontier
[The Illinoisemaker Choir & (Shara Worden)]
The mattress, the floozies, the actress at the movies
(Run from yourself, from your friends)
The lantern, the lotion, the wind that wakes the ocean
(Run for your life, for your friends)
The Standard Addition, the architect's rendition
(America)
The fashion, the fevers, the house we got at Sears
(Oh, Illinois)
[Part II: Come to Me Only With Playthings Now]
[Sufjan Stevens, Shara Worden & (Katrina Kerns)]
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)
About
The title of part 2 of this song, “Come to Me Only with Playthings Now”, is a reference to the first line of Carl Sandburg’s poem “Murmurings in a Field Hospital”. This isn’t the first time Sandburg makes an appearance on the album…
By having two songs referencing Sandburg in the title (the 3rd track and the 3rd to last track) Sufjan gives the album a sense of symmetry.
The first part of the song has vocals provided by the Illinoisemaker Choir, who are Katrina Kerns, Tom Eaton, Jennifer Hoover, Tara McDonnell and Beccy Lock as well as Shara Worden. The first part is has the vocalists sing in multiple parts with a different combination each time a new part is sung.
The second part, however, only has vocals from Katrina Kerns and Shara Worden with Sufjan having background vocals as his voice is harder to hear compared to Shara and Katrina’s.
Q&A
Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning
Robert Wadlow, the tallest man ever in human history for whom there is irrefutable evidence, was born and raised in Alton, Illinois.
- 5.Jacksonville
- 9.Chicago
- 19.The Seer’s Tower
- 20.The Tallest Man, the Broadest Shoulders (Part I: The Great Frontier — Part II: Come to Me Only with Playthings Now)
