Suzanne
Judy Collins Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Suzanne takes you down to her place by the river
You can hear the boats go by, you can spend the night forever
And you know that she's half crazy 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 want to tell her that you have no love to give her
She gets you on her wavelength and 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 think you'll may be trust her
For she's touched your perfect body with her mind

And Jesus was a sailor when He walked upon the water
And He spent a long time watching from a lonely wooden tower
And when He knew for certain only drowning men could see Him
He said, "All men shall 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 you'll maybe trust Him
For He's touched your perfect body with his mind

Suzanne takes you down to her place by the river
You can hear the boats go by you can spend the night forever
And the sun pours down like honey on our lady of the harbor
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 think maybe you trust her
For you've touched her perfect body with your mind

Overall Meaning

The song "Suzanne" by Judy Collins is a poignant and evocative ballad of love, spirituality, and transformation. The song begins with the singer telling us about Suzanne, a woman who lives by the river and seems to have a mystical quality about her. The singer is drawn to her despite her oddities and they spend time together, with Suzanne serving him tea and oranges from China. Suzanne seems to have an almost hypnotic power over the singer, drawing him onto her wavelength.


As the song progresses, we hear about Jesus, a sailor who walked on water and spent a long time watching from a lonely wooden tower. He realized that only drowning men could see him and declared that all men shall be sailors until the sea shall free them. However, Jesus himself was broken long before the sky would open, forsaken and human, sinking beneath the singer's wisdom like a stone.


The song ends with Suzanne taking the singer to a place where he sees hope and beauty amid the garbage and the flowers. And the singer wants to travel with Suzanne, both literally and metaphorically, trusting her and touched by her mind.


Line by Line Meaning

Suzanne takes you down to her place by the river
Suzanne guides you to a peaceful place by the river


You can hear the boats go by, you can spend the night forever
The experience is so serene, it feels like time is standing still and you can stay forever


And you know that she's half crazy that's why you want to be there
Suzanne's unconventional nature is intriguing, making you want to be around her


And she feeds you tea and oranges that come all the way from China
Suzanne nourishes you with exotic treats


And just when you want to tell her that you have no love to give her
You feel like you don't have anything to offer her emotionally


She gets you on her wavelength and lets the river answer
Suzanne connects with you on an emotional level and the surroundings provide answers


That you've always been her lover
The connection with Suzanne has been strong and timeless


And you want to travel with her
You desire to experience more of the world with Suzanne


And you want to travel blind
You trust Suzanne so much that you are willing to let her lead you blindly


And you think you'll may be trust her
You are contemplating whether you can trust Suzanne


For she's touched your perfect body with her mind
Suzanne has connected with you on a deeper, emotional level


And Jesus was a sailor when He walked upon the water
Drawing a comparison to Jesus' ability to walk on water


And He spent a long time watching from a lonely wooden tower
Jesus observed the world from a distance


And when He knew for certain only drowning men could see Him
Jesus realized that the people who believed in him were in dire need of support


He said, "All men shall be sailors then until the sea shall free them"
Jesus spoke of the struggles of life, and how humanity must find its own way


But He Himself was broken long before the sky would open
Jesus endured hardships and struggled with his own existence


Forsaken, almost human He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone
Despite his divinity, Jesus was still human and was weighed down by the wisdom he imparted


And you want to travel with Him
You desire to be on a higher journey with Jesus


And you want to travel blind
You trust Jesus so much that you are willing to let him guide you blindly


And you think you'll maybe trust Him
You are contemplating whether you can trust Jesus


For He's touched your perfect body with his mind
Jesus has connected with you on a deeper, spiritual level


And the sun pours down like honey on our lady of the harbor
The sun radiates down beautifully on Suzanne


And she shows you where to look among the garbage and the flowers
Suzanne shows you the beauty that can be found among both the bad and good of life


There are heroes in the seaweed, there are children in the morning
The world holds inspiring people and new beginnings


They are leaning out for love and they will lean that way forever
People will always crave love and seek it out in the deepest corners of the world


While Suzanne holds the mirror
Suzanne guides you through the looking-glass to show you how deep the rabbit hole goes


And you want to travel with her
You desire to experience more of the world with Suzanne


And you want to travel blind
You trust Suzanne so much that you are willing to let her lead you blindly


And you think maybe you trust her
You are contemplating whether you can trust Suzanne


For you've touched her perfect body with your mind
Suzanne has connected with you on a deeper, emotional level




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Leonard Cohen

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions