Sufjan Stevens (Born July 1, 1975) is an American musician, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Petoskey, Michigan. He is known for his lyrically focused and instrumentally rich songs that often relate to faith and family. He has enjoyed wide critical success in the United States. He is considered part of the folk revival through indie pop, but his influences are very broad, including experimental electronic music, the jazz of Vince Guaraldi, and the academic minimalism of Steve Reich and Philip Glass.
Four years of hard work!This month of May we celebrated four years on the air. We continue working on the dissemination of this wonderful instrument, thank you for participating in our story!
I suspect Sufjan plays this song on the ukulele, so another tuning might simplify this song. I only play guitar, so I tabbed it out using a nylon string guitar. A lot of the inversions used are quite specific, therefore I tabbed out the right grips to use for this song. In some parts of the song there are some subtle patterns that can be learnt better if I tabbed them out too.
Chords and patterns for the bridge: BF#/A#GmF#EB/D#F#/C#E/G# e|-11----9-----7----6----4----------6------------------------------------------| B|-12----11----9----7----5----7-----7----5-------------------------------------| G|-11----11----8----6----4----8-----6----4-------------------------------------| D|-9-----8-----6----4----2----9-----4----2-------------------------------------| A|----------------------------6-----4------------------------------------------| E|---------------------------------------4-------------------------------------|
EF#B/D#B/F# Light struck from the lemon tree AG#mF#E [ BE/BB ] What if I’d never seen hysterical light from Eugene?
E/BBF#/A# [Badd9/D#B/D#] C#7sus4 Lemon yoghurt, remember I pulled at your shirt E/G# I dropped the ashtray on the floor [BE/BB] I just wanted to be near you
VERSE 2
EF#B/D#B/F# Emerald Park, wonders never cease AG#mF#E [BE/BB] The man who taught me to swim, he couldn't quite say my first name E/BBF#/A# [Badd9/D#B/D#] C#7sus4 Like a Father he led community water on my head E/G# And he called me “Subaru” [BE/BB] And now I want to be near you
BRIDGE
BF#/A#G#mF#EB/D#F#/C# Since I was old enough to speak I've said it with alarm BF#/A#G#mF#E Some part of me was lost in your sleeve B/D#F#/C# Where you hid your cigarettes E/G# No I’ll never forget [BE/BB] I just want to be near you
VERSE 3
EF#B/D#B/F# Still I pray to what I cannot see AG#mF#E [ BE/BB ] In the sprinkler I mark the evidence known from the start E/BBF#/A# [Badd9/D#B/D#] C#7sus4 From the bed near your death, and all the machines that made a mess E/G# Far away the falcon flew [BE/BB] Now I want to be near you
VERSE 4
EF#B/D#B/F# What’s left is only bittersweet AG#mF#E [BE/BB] For the rest of my life, admitting the best is behind me E/BBF#/A# [Badd9/D#B/D#] C#7sus4 Now I’m drunk and afraid, wishing the world would go away E/G# What’s the point of singing songs BE/BB If they’ll never even hear you?