When I saw him live I cried at least 5 times, but MAN if he played this song I would sob so damn hard. I feel like he's been the soundtrack to my entire life.
I was at this show, and I can tell you, I cried....only concert I ever cried at. It was at St. Paul's Trinity Centre...a beautiful little church in Toronto. We sat in pews. And at risk of sounding dramatic, it was a holy experience.
I think that in the beginning it is the perspective of a young kid who feels that he is not good enough in his mother's eyes and he feels ashamed about that. Then as he grows up he sees what she is really like and he is ashamed to have her as a mother and of who she is.
@@finkey29 my father died this year after 19 years of off and on contact. Both this song and the entire Carrie and Lowell album helped me so much in finding clarity from this situation. Love Subaru so much honestly.
As a former resident of Romulus, this song portrays the sadness that I hold when I see the deteriation of the area. It is really falling into decay as the Metro Airport swallows what little is left of memories of small time suburban Detroit.
This story is about having a dysfunctional mother who runs around and doesn't take care of her kids when they are young. So, the grandfather (who dies in the song) is the one that takes care of them while she is gone. The kids grow up and move away, but the pain and shame of their mother still remains.
Sometimes I think that RU-vid requires people out there to just dislike videos to keep some kind of balance at work. How could someone not like this? It's so moving. It's one of the realest songs ever made. His ability to simply reveal so much about his life, while keeping the nostalgic selective awareness of childhood, and yet saying so little. What a way to write a song. It is straight from this persons heart. I'm obsessed with this song. I just want to keep getting more and more meaning out of it. It's like a new girlfriend you just want to keep fucking again and again
I think the reason Mr. Stevens is so popular is that all of his songs have such a feeling of home. It's like he's painting a picture of his past and everyone else's at the same time.
he killed this performance. im at work and had a play list of sufjan going and this came on and i thought it was just a low quality audio file but its him playing freaking LIVE. now thats good.
Let me clear you guys up. This is from the album Michigan. There is a town in MI called Romulus. And in case you've never been to MI, or have known a group of people from Michigan, my husband will tell you there is something about Michiganders that is "unique". Something about those lakes blocking us in. But this song is tender, and truthful and all about what I saw growing up in MI.
me too... especially relaxing with friends on a warm summer evening, not a care in the world. I just moved to California from Michigan and I miss it a lot, especially since i don't know anyone out here. This song feels so wonderfully nostalgic. I love Sufjan
sometimes people can hear meaning in the music, not the words. it doesn't matter what you get out of this song. its different for everyone. I think it is beautiful.
"our grandpa died in a hospital gown she didn't seem to care she smoked in her room, and colored her hair" i think he was expecting a different reaction from the death. she didn't seem to care and just went on with her life. "and i was ashamed, i was ashamed of her"
He's like Austin Powers... "Women want him and men want to BE him." Sounded great of course, but it's too bad this song didn't have the banjo lead though.
Is he talking about a town? Because it definitely sounds to me like he's talking about either his own or someone else's disinterested mother...it's quite moving actually, very sad.
Understand the true meaning of Romulus. Look up the story of Romulus and Remus. I do not know if this is why Michigan gained its city name for this, however it is a evil story. Romulus is a greedy man and seeked power and war. Understand that he was the original founder of Rome. One of the most corrupt places on earth in my opinion. I do not know if this is relative, I read the lyrics to the song and they seem legit and good. However the real story is anything but good.
I think both interpretations fit, and that might be why he chose that city for this song. He and his siblings were abandoned, so they had to be raised by others. Luckily, there was a responsible grandparent around to rescue the kids, as opposed to a lactating wolf like in the Romulus and Remus fable.
