Oh Susanna was the recording name of Canadian-American alt-country musician… Read Full Bio ↴Oh Susanna was the recording name of Canadian-American alt-country musician Suzie Ungerleider (born in Northampton, MA, and raised in Vancouver) from 1995 to 2021. Performing under the name Oh Susanna, alluding to the classic American folk song "Oh! Susanna" to protect her privacy, Ungerleider announced in 2021 that she was retiring the Oh Susanna stage name after learning more about the complicated racial history of the song "Oh! Susanna".

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)

Forever at Your Feet
Oh Susanna Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

A locket on a chain
A bow that's made from rain
A briar grows entwined with rose
I've come to be forever at your feet

A blossom pages pressed
A knocking at my chest
Oh, winding road please take me home

I long to be forever at your feet

And I hope that you won't mind, my dear
When you see my eyes are lined, my dear
It's because I've waited all these years

For your kisses sweeter than milk

And your touch that's softer than silk
For your treasures I will be forever at your feet

Overall Meaning

In "Forever at Your Feet," Oh Susanna seems to be singing about a devoted love she has for someone. The lyrics paint a picture of a person who is committed to the object of their affection, regardless of any obstacles that may be in the way. The first verse of the song references a locket, a bow made from rain, and a briar entwined with a rose. These objects may be symbolic of a complicated love, where beauty and love are sometimes intertwined with thorns and heartache.

The second verse of the song speaks to the deep longing that Oh Susanna has to be with the person she loves. She speaks of a blossom (a flower that is often seen as a symbol of love and affection) that has been pressed, perhaps as a makeshift keepsake or memento, and a knocking in her chest that could be interpreted as the nervousness one might feel when deeply in love. The mention of a "winding road" that needs to "take me home" seems to suggest that the singer feels a sense of displacement or unease when she isn't with the person she loves.

As the song progresses, Oh Susanna expresses a hope that the object of her affection will not mind the signs of aging she has begun to experience. She appears to be willing to sacrifice anything to be with this person, as she speaks of their kisses being "sweeter than milk" and their touch being "softer than silk." The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "I've come to be forever at your feet," solidifying the idea that this person is the center of her universe.

Line by Line Meaning

A locket on a chain
A piece of jewelry that hangs from a necklace

A bow that's made from rain
A colorful ribbon created by nature's precipitation

A briar grows entwined with rose
A prickly thorn plant interwoven with a fragrant flower

I've come to be forever at your feet
I have decided to stay devotedly at your side

A blossom pages pressed
A delicate flower carefully preserved between book pages

A knocking at my chest
A strong heartbeat signaling desire

Oh, winding road please take me home
A journey that leads to a comforting destination

I long to be forever at your feet
I desire to remain by your side for eternity

And I hope that you won't mind, my dear
I pray that my devotion is reciprocated

When you see my eyes are lined, my dear
When you notice the wrinkles caused by years of waiting

It's because I've waited all these years
The longing for true love experienced over a prolonged period