Sufjan Stevens - The Mistress Witch from McClure (or, the Mind that Knows Itself)

capo 4


D……………………...................G….Bm
And the winter moves about Illinois

………………………..............A
when my sister picks a fight

……………………….........D
with the Alexander boy

………………………..............G…………..Bm
and my father locks the car by the store

………………..........………A…………….............……………G
still we figure out the keys and follow him once more

………...D...........……………………A
oh my God, we see it on the floor

………………..........….E
the woman on the bed

………………............……G
the ankle brace she wore

…….......……..D
stones and sled,

………………..............…………A
it could have been some other

………………...........…….E
the mind that knows itself

……………….............……….G
has a mind to serve the other

…….......…….D…………..........……………A
but we run back, scratching at the door

if I’m hiding in the sleeves of my coat
when my father runs, undressed
he’s pointing at my throat
and my brother has fit in the snow
and the traffic stops for miles
we take him by the elbow
oh my God, the shuffling and the floor
a mind that knows itself
is a mind that knows much more
so we run back, scrambling for cover
the mind that knows itself
has a mind to kill the other
oh my God, you’ve left us now for dead
(oh my God. no one came to our side
to carry us away from danger)