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)

Kings Road
Oh Susanna Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Sun shone all day
When you came to play
Walked into a picture show
And dreamed our lives away

Ran up the hill
Crazy Jack and Jill
Close your eyes and count to ten

And I'll be back again

Bus stop blues
Raining in my shoes
Sucking on a cigarette
So Johnny rotten cool

But did you know I'd still be waiting
I'd still be waiting for the rest of my days?
Where did you go? Now I'm still waiting
I keep hoping and a praying for the rest of my days

Meet me at noon
At the gag and spoon
Drugstore instant photographs
A teenage honeymoon

Eyes lined with goo
Hair spiked with glue
Sing me a song that's three chords long
Inhale until we're blue

But did you know I'd still be waiting
I'd still be waiting for the rest of my days?

Where did you go? Now I'm still waiting
I keep hoping and a praying for the rest of my days

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Oh Susanna's song Kings Road are nostalgic and dreamy, describing a time when the sun shone all day and the singer spent their days with friends, wandering around and dreaming their lives away. The mention of a picture show and instant photographs gives the impression of a simpler, more innocent time. However, the song takes a darker turn with the mention of "bus stop blues" and "raining in my shoes", hinting at a sense of loss or longing. The mention of Johnny Rotten adds a touch of rebellion and coolness to the lyrics, but ultimately the singer remains stuck waiting for someone who may never return. The final verse brings us back to the earlier, more innocent imagery with the mention of a teenage honeymoon and singing songs until they turn blue from inhaling, but again the sense of longing remains with the repeated refrain "I'd still be waiting for the rest of my days".

Line by Line Meaning

Sun shone all day
It was a sunny and bright day

When you came to play
When you came over to spend time with me

Walked into a picture show
We went to the movies

And dreamed our lives away
We lost track of time while watching and daydreaming

Ran up the hill
We ran up a hill

Crazy Jack and Jill
We were laughing and having fun like characters from the nursery rhyme

Close your eyes and count to ten
We played a game of hide and seek

And I'll be back again
I'll come back and find you

Bus stop blues
Feeling sad while waiting at the bus stop

Raining in my shoes
It was raining and my shoes were wet

Sucking on a cigarette
Smoking while feeling cool and rebellious