In October 2004, Etheridge was diagnosed with breast cancer, and underwent surgery and chemotherapy. At the 2005 Grammy Awards, she made a return to the stage and, although bald from chemotherapy, performed a tribute to Janis Joplin with the song "Piece of My Heart". Etheridge's performance was widely lauded, with India.Arie writing "I Am Not My Hair" about Etheridge. Later that year, Etheridge released her first compilation album, Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled. The album was a huge success, peaking at #14 on the Billboard 200, and going Gold immediately. Her latest release is 4th Street Feeling.
Etheridge is known for her mixture of "confessional lyrics, pop-based folk-rock, and raspy, smoky vocals." She has also been an iconic gay and lesbian activist since her public coming out in January 1993.
Suede
Melissa Etheridge Lyrics
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Sharp and hard like leather never ever broken in
Discarded on the path of your perfection
I learned that beauty lies in the eyes of the deception
Fingers like a silver chain, yeah
Soft around my neck; can I ever trust again?
Lying in the path of your destruction
Sifting through the rubble for the ghost of your seduction
Just like the marks on my guitar
Just like the scratches on my heart
Some things ain't ever gonna fade
I'll never get back all those years
But now, I'm taking back those tears
Tonight, I'm falling into suede, yeah
Deep in the night, I see my fears
And if I try to touch them, they only disappear
The needle and the thread, just a temporary mend
Days and days are never put together again
Just like the marks on my guitar
Just like the scratches on my heart
Some things ain't ever gonna fade
I'll never get back all those years
But now, I'm taking back those tears
Tonight, I'm falling into suede, oh
All the smoke, all the wine
The stains deep in my mind, yeah
Oh, I am fringe in the breeze
Oh, that tears like denim on my knees
Just like the marks on my guitar
Just like the scratches on my heart
Some things ain't ever gonna fade
I'll never get back all those years
But now, I'm taking back those tears
Tonight, I'm falling into suede
Just like the marks on my guitar
Just like the scratches on my heart
Some things ain't ever gonna fade
I'll never get back all those years
But now, I'm taking back those tears
Tonight, I'm falling into suede
Tonight, I'm falling into suede
In Melissa Etheridge's song "Suede," she sings about a past lover that she never fully understood. She compares the lover's skin to leather that was sharp and hard, never broken in. Melissa learned that beauty is subjective and lies in the eye of the beholder. She continues to describe the lover's fingers as a silver chain that was soft around her neck. Melissa questions if she can ever trust again because of the path of destruction this lover left in her life. She sifts through the rubble of the relationship, searching for the ghost of the lover's seduction.
Melissa sings about the marks on her guitar and the scratches on her heart, things that will never fade. She knows that she will never get back the years lost in this failed relationship, but she is taking back her tears. Melissa ends the song by saying that she is falling into suede. She sees her fears deep in the night, but when she tries to touch them, they disappear. The needle and the thread only provide a temporary mend, and days are never put together again. Melissa sings about the deep stains in her mind from all the smoke and wine. She compares herself to fringe in the breeze, and her tears like denim on her knees.
Line by Line Meaning
I never understood your skin
I never fully comprehended who you were as a person
Sharp and hard like leather never ever broken in
Your demeanor was always tough and unyielding
Discarded on the path of your perfection
You were too focused on being perfect, and it caused you to lose sight of what truly mattered
I learned that beauty lies in the eyes of the deception
I realized that outward appearances can be deceiving and that true beauty is often hidden beneath the surface
Fingers like a silver chain, yeah
Your touch was cold and unfeeling, like a chain made of silver
Soft around my neck; can I ever trust again?
Despite your harsh exterior, you were able to draw me in with a gentle touch, but now I question my ability to trust again
Lying in the path of your destruction
I was caught in the midst of your self-destructive behavior
Sifting through the rubble for the ghost of your seduction
I am left trying to make sense of what happened, searching for any remnants of the person who once drew me in
Just like the marks on my guitar
Similar to the scuffs and scratches on my guitar that tell stories of past experiences, I too have emotional scars that remind me of past pain
Just like the scratches on my heart
My heart has been through its fair share of emotional turmoil and bears the scars to prove it
Some things ain't ever gonna fade
Certain experiences and emotions will always be a part of me, and they will never truly go away
I'll never get back all those years
I cannot turn back time and undo the pain I have experienced as a result of my relationship with you
But now, I'm taking back those tears
I am done crying over what is lost and am taking control of my emotions
Tonight, I'm falling into suede, yeah
I am moving on, entering a new chapter of my life that is comfortable and soft, like suede
Deep in the night, I see my fears
When I am alone with my thoughts, my fears come to the surface
And if I try to touch them, they only disappear
When I try to confront these fears, they dissipate and no longer hold power over me
The needle and the thread, just a temporary mend
My attempts to fix my emotional wounds are only temporary solutions
Days and days are never put together again
Once time has passed and experiences have occurred, they cannot be undone or forgotten
All the smoke, all the wine
All the vices and distractions I have used to cope with my pain
The stains deep in my mind, yeah
The memories and emotions associated with my past experiences run deep in my psyche
Oh, I am fringe in the breeze
I feel like I am at the mercy of external forces, blowing whichever way the wind takes me
Oh, that tears like denim on my knees
The pain I have experienced has left me vulnerable and emotionally exposed
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Melissa Etheridge
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind