Ungerleider played her first show under the name Oh Susanna at the Railway Club in Vancouver in July 1995, and released her first independent recording, a seven-song EP, in 1997. Around this time, she decided to relocate to Toronto after attending Blue Rodeo's Stardust Picnic festival. In 1999, she released her full-length debut, Johnstown, and toured Canada and the United States with fellow musicians Veda Hille and Kinnie Starr, in what they dubbed the "Scrappy Bitch Tour".
At the 19th Genie Awards in 1999, she won the Genie Award for Best Original Song, for her song "River Blue" from the film The Fishing Trip. She subsequently released eight more recordings, Sleepy Little Sailor (2001), Oh Susanna (2003), Short Stories (2007), Soon the Birds (2011), Namedropper (2014), A Girl in Teen City (2017), and Decemberly (2018) a holiday EP with Michael Johnston.
In 2021, she announced that she was retiring the Oh Susanna stage name after learning more about the complicated racial history of the song "Oh! Susanna". She is now releasing under her own name.
Discography:
Oh Susanna EP (1997)
Johnstown (1999)
Sleepy Little Sailor (2001)
Oh Susanna (2003)
Short Stories (2007)
Soon The Birds (2011)
Namedropper (2014)
A Girl in Teen City (2017)
Decemberly (2018) (with Michael Johnston)
Alabaster
Oh Susanna Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
'Speak not a word,' was what you wrote to me.
Shoes soaked in sand and a heavy coat around your shoulder,
Bird in a hand was what you gave to me.
You stood so strong and the waves beyond were rollin' over,
Pullin' me close like the moon pulls on the sea.
I wanna ride on a road that turns a thousand corners --
House in the hills and inside the sound of nervous laughter,
A bed of white unmade by you and me.
Your body of stone that I touch until it turns to water
Was revealed to me.
I long to touch your tender skin of alabaster --
Shoulders as white as the peaks beyond the sea.
Arms in your arms and soon the room is spinning faster,
Eyes in your eyes are the only thing I see.
Love you so much so the only thing that you'll remember
Is what it's like to be in love with me.
The lyrics of Oh Susanna's song Alabaster describe a meeting between two people on the shore on a rainy dawn in late November. The person who arrived gave a bird to the other and asked them not to speak. The waves were rolling over, pulling the singer close, creating a magnetic attraction like the moon pulls on the sea. The singer wants to ride on a road that turns a thousand corners with their companion. They picture themselves in a house in the hills, where they can hear the sound of nervous laughter, and they share an unmade bed of white. The singer describes their companion's body as stone that they touch until it turns to water. They long to touch the tender skin of their companion, which they describe as alabaster. At this moment, they are in their companion's arms, and the room starts to spin faster. When they look into their companion's eyes, they see nothing but love.
The lyrics of Alabaster are about love at first sight, magnetic attraction, and the longing for a lasting connection. The singer describes the beauty of their companion in detail, focusing on their white shoulders, tender skin, and arms. The song is poetic and metaphorical, evoking the emotions of the singer as they fall in love with their companion. The lyrics make use of imagery from the natural world, like the waves of the sea or the stone turning to water, to convey the intensity of the feelings experienced by the singer. The song is about the power of love and the desire for human connection.
Line by Line Meaning
Met on the shore on a rainy dawn in late November,
We first encountered each other on the coast on a November morning that was rainy.
'Speak not a word,' was what you wrote to me.
Your message to me was to keep quiet and not talk.
Shoes soaked in sand and a heavy coat around your shoulder,
Your footwear was full of wet sand, and you had on a coat that was heavy.
Bird in a hand was what you gave to me.
You shared a bird you held in your hands with me.
You stood so strong and the waves beyond were rollin' over,
The waves outside surged on, while you stood firmly.
Pullin' me close like the moon pulls on the sea.
You drew me in close, like the moon affecting the ocean's tides.
I wanna ride on a road that turns a thousand corners --
I hope to embark on journeys down numerous curly roads.
Two beams of light, one for you and me.
I would like us both to have our beams of light as we ride.
House in the hills and inside the sound of nervous laughter,
A domicile in the uplands where there may be audible uncertain giggles.
A bed of white unmade by you and me.
A bed that is unmade, covered in white and belongs to both of us.
Your body of stone that I touch until it turns to water
Your body transforms from feeling like stone to water upon my touch.
Was revealed to me.
Your body's transformative power was made clear to me.
I long to touch your tender skin of alabaster --
I deeply yearn to touch your delicate skin that appears like alabaster stone.
Shoulders as white as the peaks beyond the sea.
Your shoulders are as white as the mountains far beyond the ocean.
Arms in your arms and soon the room is spinning faster,
My arms are in yours, and the space appears to spin around more quickly.
Eyes in your eyes are the only thing I see.
In our gaze, I can only see your eyes.
Love you so much so the only thing that you'll remember
My love for you is so immense that it will be the only thing you recall.
Is what it's like to be in love with me.
All that will be left in your memory is what it's like to love me.
Contributed by Emily T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.