Sufjan Stevens Writes Miley Cyrus An Open Letter About Grammar [VIDEO]
Seems like everybody's got some advice for Miley Cyrus, after Sinead O'Connor's epic open letters to Cyrus, Sufjan Stevens has also got something to say to the pop queen, but he is more concerned about linguistic correctness.
The singer-songwriter posted the letter on his Tumblr page after listening to Cyrus' song Get it Right. In the hilarious letter, he courteously started off by suggesting that he really liked the song but quickly veered into technicalities, bringing attention to the 20-year-old's grammatical slips. He particularly took issue with her wrong use of the word "laying" -- which is an irregular verb -- in the song. "I been laying in this bed all night long," Cyrus sings in the song. Stevens pointed out that the word she should be using is "lying."
He tries to soften the blow by saying that he is not the best lyricist himself but doesn't quite stop taking swipes at Cyrus. Going on to give her a lesson in grammar by educating her about "present perfect continuous tense."
Read the entire letter here:
Dear Miley. I can't stop listening to #GetItRight (great song, great message, great body), but maybe you need a quick grammar lesson. One particular line causes concern: "I been laying in this bed all night long." Miley, technically speaking, you've been LYING, not LAYING, an irregular verb form that should only be used when there's an object, i.e. "I been laying my tired booty on this bed all night long." Whatever. I'm not the best lyricist, but you know what I mean. #Get It Right The Next Time.
But don't worry, even Faulkner messed it up. We all make mistakes, and surely this isn't your worst misdemeanor. But also, Miley, did you know the tense here is also totally wrong. Surely you've heard of Present Perfect Continuous Tense (I HAVE BEEN LYING in this bed all night long [hopefully getting some beauty sleep?]).
It's a weird, equivocal, almost purgatorial tense, not quite present, not quite past, not quite here, not quite there. Somewhere in between. I feel that way all the time. It kind of sucks. But I have a feeling your "present perfect continuous" involves a lot more excitement than mine.
Anyway, doesn't that also sum up your career right now? Present. Perfect. Continuous. And Tense. Intense? Girl, you work it like Mike Tyson. Miley, I love you because you're the Queen, grammatically and anatomically speaking. And you're the hottest cake in the pan. Don't ever grow old. Live brightly before your fire fades into total darkness. XXOO Sufjan
Listen to Get it Right:
