Following the album's theme of yearning and abandonment, this track recounts a deathbed conversation between Sufjan and his mother. Here, she apologises for her continued absence during his childhood ('And I'm sorry I left, But it was for the best) and the pride she holds in her son. For his part, Sufjan expresses an unconditional love and affection that surpasses simple forgiveness. The most heartbreaking thing about the whole exchange is the fact that it is probably fabricated, a fantasy of a relationship that many will have wished they had had with a lost loved one. For Sufjan, it is the motherly comfort and reassurance that he never received (My little hawk, Why do you cry?).
What I love about this track is not only its tender and emotionally charged feel, or its open and personal lyrics, but how easily relatable it is. How many of us regret the missed opportunities we had to tell lost one's things we had on the tip of our tongues? And how many of us never heard what we needed to hear from those we lost?
The track ends with the repetition of the line 'We're all gonna die'. At first, this comes across as another line of reassurance given by Sufjan's mother about her inevitable passing, then a more sweeping realisation and finally a chilling reminder of our own mortality. Like his best work, this song is simple and harrowing, but incredibly beautiful.
Best listened to - Through headphones in the backseat of a car driving down a midnight road.
