Werner became interested in music at a young age and went on to receive a bachelor's degree in voice at the University of Iowa. In 1987, she moved to Philadelphia, and earned a master's degree in voice at Temple University. Werner initially wanted a career in opera, but after seeing a Nanci Griffith performance became inspired and began composing songs of her own on acoustic guitar.
Performing around Philadelphia, Boston, and New York City, Werner began making a name for herself in the folk scene of the early 1990s. She recorded five albums from 1993 to 2001, and in 2001 she moved to Chicago. Her first five albums were all in the folk genre, while her sixth album, "I Can't Be New" (2004), was a substantial departure with original material in the vein of cabaret and early jazz.
Werner's seventh album, The Gospel Truth, was released in March 2007 and addresses themes of religion, faith, social responsibility, as well as religion from an agnostic's point of view.
Her eighth album, Live at Club Passim featured a collection of original songs (gospel, jazz & folk) recorded with Colleen Sexton, Trina Hamlin & bassist Greg Holt. For her ninth album, Classics, she performs pop music from the 1960s and 1970s accompanied by chamber instruments.
Her tenth album, "Kicking the Beehive" (March 2011) was produced by Rodney Crowell and features guest appearances from Vince Gill, Keb' Mo and Paul Franklin. Her album "Hayseed", a concept album about "farms, farmers, and the people who love them", was released in the summer of 2013.
In 2017 Werner released An American In Havana, an EP featuring six songs written during two trips to Cuba in 2015 and 2016.
Through the Glass
Susan Werner Lyrics
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Waiting like some little lamb
Willing to believe
The story of the big strong man
Who follows his own dreams
The man who would be King some day
But it isn't all it seems
And the empire falls with every word
You're fumbling for tonight
And I can't bear to fool myself again
When you say
Hang on, just a little bit longer
You say, hold on, just a little bit more
But I, I know now what I didn't before
And I will not love you through the glass
Such a sleight of hand
Such a touch with subtle lies
Such a fine command
Of every common alibi
But then you lost your grip
And sank into a six-pack slide
Living for the sip
And killing off the King inside you
Call it running from the shadows
Call it running from the light
But you're fumbling for my name again tonight
And you say
Hang on, just a little bit longer
You say, hold on, just a little bit more
But I, I know now what I didn't before
And I will not love you through the glass
Why dream on a dream that burns me?
Why dream on a dream expired?
I'm told that this dream returns but lately I'm so tired
I used to be naive
Waiting like some little lamb
Willing to believe
The story of the big strong man
Follows his own dreams
The man who would be King some day
But it isn't all it seems
With empty bottles standing in the way
And you say
Hang on, just a little bit longer
You say, hold on, just a little bit more
But I, I know now what I didn't before
And I will not love you through the glass
You say, hang on, just a little bit longer
You say, hold on, just a little bit more
But I, I know now what I didn't before
And I will not love you through the glass
I will not love you
I will not love you through it
The song "Through the Glass" by Susan Werner is a story about a woman who has been deceived by a man's lies and false promises. She begins the song expressing her initial naivety and willingness to believe the false hopes of a big strong man who could achieve anything he desired. However, she slowly comes to realize that this man can never truly achieve his dreams because he is always held back by something. His empire is always falling with every word, and he is constantly fumbling for the right thing to say.
As the song goes on, the woman's disillusionment with this man grows. She realizes that he is a skilled liar who can manipulate any situation with a fine command of every common alibi. Even when he loses his grip and sinks into a cycle of drinking and self-destruction, he still tries to hold onto her with promises to hang on a little longer.
But the woman has learned her lesson and decides that she will not love him through the glass, meaning she won't continue to hold onto false hopes and promises. She questions why she should dream on a dream that only burns her and leaves her feeling tired.
Overall, the song is a cautionary tale about the dangers of getting caught up in a false narrative, and the importance of standing up for oneself and refusing to be held back by someone else's failures and shortcomings.
Line by Line Meaning
God, was I naive
I was so innocent and inexperienced
Waiting like some little lamb
Waiting patiently like a helpless animal
Willing to believe
Readily believing what I was told
The story of the big strong man
The tale of a powerful, confident man
Who follows his own dreams
A man who pursues his own desires
The man who would be King some day
A man who aspires to great things
But it isn't all it seems
But reality is more complicated
With something always in the way
Obstacles are always present
And the empire falls with every word
And his power is undermined by his words
You're fumbling for tonight
You're struggling for something to say now
And I can't bear to fool myself again
And I refuse to deceive myself again
When you say
When you tell me
Hang on, just a little bit longer
Hold on a little while more
You say, hold on, just a little bit more
You say, keep waiting a bit longer
But I, I know now what I didn't before
But now I know something I didn't used to
And I will not love you through the glass
And I won't love you from a distance anymore
Such a sleight of hand
Such a clever trick
Such a touch with subtle lies
Such a skill for telling small fibs
Such a fine command
Such great control
Of every common alibi
Of every excuse that's been used before
But then you lost your grip
But then you lost control
And sank into a six-pack slide
And started drinking heavily
Living for the sip
Living for the next drink
And killing off the King inside you
And destroying the confident, powerful man you used to be
Call it running from the shadows
Maybe it's hiding from painful memories
Call it running from the light
Maybe it's avoiding the truth
But you're fumbling for my name again tonight
But you can't seem to remember my name tonight
Why dream on a dream that burns me?
Why pursue a dream that hurts me?
Why dream on a dream expired?
Why chase after a dream that has already died?
I'm told that this dream returns but lately I'm so tired
Some say this dream will come back, but I'm too exhausted to wait for it
I used to be naive
I was once so innocent and inexperienced
With empty bottles standing in the way
But now there's a drinking problem in the way
And you say
And you tell me
I will not love you
I won't love you anymore
Through it
From a distance
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SUSAN WERNER, FERNANDO SAUNDERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind