Suzanne
Aretha Franklin Lyrics


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Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
You can hear the boats go by
You can spend the night beside her
And you know that she's half crazy
But that's why you want to be there
And she feeds you tea and oranges
That come all the way from China
And just when you mean to tell her
That you have no love to give her
Then she gets you on her wavelength
And she lets the river answer
That you've always been her lover
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind
And you know that she will trust you
For you've touched her perfect body with your mind.

And Jesus was a sailor
When he walked upon the water
And he spent a long time watching
From his lonely wooden tower
And when he knew for certain
Only drowning men could see him
He said "All men will be sailors then
Until the sea shall free them"
But he himself was broken
Long before the sky would open
Forsaken, almost human
He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone
And you want to travel with him
And you want to travel blind
And you think maybe you'll trust him
For he's touched your perfect body with his mind.

Now Suzanne takes your hand
And she leads you to the river
She is wearing rags and feathers
From Salvation Army counters
And the sun pours down like honey
On our lady of the harbour
And she shows you where to look
Among the garbage and the flowers
There are heroes in the seaweed
There are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love
And they will lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds the mirror
And you want to travel with her
And you want to travel blind




And you know that you can trust her
For she's touched your perfect body with her mind.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Suzanne" by Aretha Franklin tell a story of a woman named Suzanne who takes the singer down to her place by the river. Despite knowing that Suzanne is "half crazy," the singer wants to be with her. Suzanne serves the singer tea and oranges from China, and somehow, she understands him when he means to tell her he has no love to give her. Suzanne leads the singer to trust her, and he wants to travel with her, even if he's blinded by love. The second verse references Jesus as a sailor and implies that he too is half-crazy, as he tries to save other drowning men. The final verse brings the story back to Suzanne, who is now wearing rags and feathers from the Salvation Army. She shows the singer a world where there are heroes in the seaweed and children in the morning, always leaning out for love. Suzanne holds up a mirror, showing the singer that he too can be a hero and that she has touched his perfect body with her mind, bringing him to a place of love and trust.


" Suzanne" was written by the late, great singer-songwriter, Leonard Cohen, who was known for his haunting melodies and poetic lyrics.


Line by Line Meaning

Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river
Suzanne invites you to her humble abode beside the river.


You can hear the boats go by
You can hear the boats passing by as you relax by the river with Suzanne.


You can spend the night beside her
You can stay overnight next to her.


And you know that she's half crazy
You know that she is eccentric but that is what draws you to her.


But that's why you want to be there
Her quirkiness is what makes being with her interesting.


And she feeds you tea and oranges
Suzanne provides you with food and beverage that comes from faraway lands.


That come all the way from China
The food and beverage she offers come from China.


And just when you mean to tell her
Just when you thought of telling her something important.


That you have no love to give her
That you don't have any affection to offer her.


Then she gets you on her wavelength
Then she connects with you on an emotional level.


And she lets the river answer
She listens to the river and finds reassurance for what you both share.


That you've always been her lover
She realizes that you have always been meant for each other.


And you want to travel with her
You want to go on an adventure with her.


And you want to travel blind
You want to go on an adventure without knowing what the future holds.


And you know that she will trust you
You know for certain that you have her trust.


For you've touched her perfect body with your mind.
For you have a deep connection with her that goes beyond the physical form.


And Jesus was a sailor
Jesus was a sailor.


When he walked upon the water
When He performed a miraculous feat.


And he spent a long time watching
Jesus spent a prolonged period observing.


From his lonely wooden tower
From a tower made of wood and all by himself.


And when he knew for certain
And when He got the assurance.


Only drowning men could see him
Only people that are about to drown can see Him.


He said "All men will be sailors then
He declared that everyone will be a sailor then.


Until the sea shall free them"
Until the time that the sea releases them.


But he himself was broken
But He himself was downtrodden.


Long before the sky would open
A long time before the sky breaks open.


Forsaken, almost human
Abandoned and taking on a more human form.


He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone
He drowned under your intense knowledge as if it were a stone.


And you want to travel with him
You want to go on an adventure with Jesus, as well.


And you want to travel blind
You want to go on an adventure without knowing what the future will hold.


And you think maybe you'll trust him
You think that you might trust Him.


For he's touched your perfect body with his mind.
For He has a deep connection with you going beyond the physical form.


Now Suzanne takes your hand
Now Suzanne takes your hand.


And she leads you to the river
And she leads you to the river.


She is wearing rags and feathers
She is dressed in tattered clothes and feathers.


From Salvation Army counters
Her outfit comes from Salvation Army stores.


And the sun pours down like honey
And the sun radiates like honey pouring from above.


On our lady of the harbor
Referring to Suzanne as our lady of the harbor.


And she shows you where to look
She points you to the right direction.


Among the garbage and the flowers
In between the garbage and the blooming flowers.


There are heroes in the seaweed
There are heroes hiding within the seaweed.


There are children in the morning
In the morning, there are children.


They are leaning out for love
They long for love and are reaching out for it.


And they will lean that way forever
And they will seek and yearn forever.


While Suzanne holds the mirror
While Suzanne reflects and speaks the truth.


And you want to travel with her
You want to go on an adventure with her.


And you want to travel blind
You want to go on an adventure without knowing what the future holds.


And you know that you can trust her
You know that she is trustworthy.


For she's touched your perfect body with her mind.
For she has a deep connection with you beyond the physical form.




Contributed by London Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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