I forgive you, mother, I can hear you/
And I long to be near you.
“Death With Dignity” is a delicate song sung by Sufjan Stevans and performed with a ukulele and later a piano. In that, it is an unlikely combination. Combined with his wistful voice it makes for a poignant experience.
The song seems to be about his mother, who has died. Perhaps there were things left unsaid at the time she passed, we don’t know. What we do know is that Stevans thinks of her death in spiritual terms in an effort to comfort himself and understand his mother and the world. He hopes that she’ll be with him now: though perhaps she won’t be the wild mare who did as she pleased—perhaps in spirit.
He hears a bird sing and wonders if the bird sings for the dead just like he does. He seems to see her ghost in the window, but he seems to invite it. He looks forward to the time when he can rejoin her. Overall, the song is one of hope and rejoicing. There is a spiritual world where there will be a re-connection between the two of them but also there seems to be a place that his mom is now where her spirit is living.
Death With Dignity Lyrics
Spirit of my silence I can hear you, but I’m afraid to be near you
And I don’t know where to begin
And I don’t know where to begin
Somewhere in the desert there’s a forest, and an acre before us
But I don’t know where to begin
But I don’t know where to begin
Again I lost my strength completely, oh be near me tired old mare
With the wind in your hair
Amethyst and flowers on the table, is it real or a fable?
Well I suppose a friend is a friend
And we all know how this will end
Chimney swift that finds me be my keeper, silhouette of the cedar
What is that song you sing for the dead
What is that song you sing for the dead
I see the signal searchlight strike me, in the window of my room
Well I got nothing to prove
Well I got nothing to prove
I forgive you mother I can hear you, and I long to be near you
But every road leads to an end
Yes every road leads to an end
Your apparition passes through me, in the willows and five red hens
You’ll never see us again
You’ll never see us again
Songwriters: Sufjan Stevens