Though born in California, Vega has lived most of her life in New York City. There, she attended the High School of the Performing Arts (the school seen in the feature film musical Fame), where she studied modern dance. Vega realized that her talent in dance was not sufficient to make her living. While pursuing a degree in English at Columbia University, she penned many songs, and performed in college and community coffeehouses inside and outside the New York City area.
She was discovered in 1984, releasing her eponymous debut the following year. However, it was not until her 1987 sophomore effort, Solitude Standing, that Vega entered the U.S. mainstream with the lyrically unlikely hit Luka. Three years later, a remix of the album's opening track "Tom's Diner" became an American and European hit for "DNA Featuring Suzanne Vega."
Having continuously built and maintained a loyal fanbase since her fame's peak, Vega has a prolific catalogue, and in 2003 she released a retrospective collection. Beauty & Crime, her seventh album, was released in 2007. Inspired by the city where Vega grew up and still currently resides, Beauty & Crime revolves around her experiences in New York.
Vega has a daughter, Ruby Froom, with her ex-husband Mitchell Froom. In early 2006, Vega remarried to a man named Paul Mills.
For additional information, including photographs, visit Suzanne Vega's official website, www.SuzanneVega.com.
Men in a War
Suzanne Vega Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If they've lost a limb
Still feel that limb
As they did before
He lay on a cot
He was drenched in a sweat
He was mute and staring
He had not
I know how it is
When something is gone
A piece of your eyesight
Or maybe your vision
A corner of sense
Goes blank on the screen
A piece of the scan
Gets filled in by hand
You know that it was
And now it is not
So you just make do with
Whatever you've got
Men in a war
If they've lost a limb
Still feel that limb
As they did before
If your nerve is cut
If you're kept on the stretch
You don't feel your will
You can't find your gut
And she lay on her back
She made sure she was hid
She was mute and staring
Not feeling the thing
That she did
I know how it is
When something is gone
A piece of your eyesight
Or maybe your vision
The song "Men in a War" by Suzanne Vega explores the concept of trauma and how it affects people. Through the use of vivid imagery, Vega describes how soldiers who have lost limbs still feel the phantom sensations of those limbs as though they were still there. The first verse of the song describes a soldier who is lying on a cot, still feeling the limb that he has lost. Despite being mute and staring, he is fully aware of the missing limb, and his brain continues to send signals to that non-existent part of the body.
In the chorus of the song, Vega repeats the haunting line "Men in a war, if they've lost a limb, still feel that limb as they did before." This line is particularly striking because it highlights the psychological toll that war takes on soldiers. Even when they return home, they carry the physical and emotional scars of their experiences with them.
The second verse describes a woman who has gone through a similar traumatic experience. She is lying on her back, hiding, and unmoving. Her mind is not fully present, and she is not feeling the sensations that she typically would. The imagery used in the song paints a picture of sufferers of trauma who are trapped in their own minds, trying to come to terms with what has happened to them but still feeling disconnected from reality.
Overall, "Men in a War" is a poignant and powerful song that communicates the complexities of trauma and how it can affect people long after the experience itself is over.
Line by Line Meaning
Men in a war
Being in a war can have devastating effects on individuals.
If they've lost a limb
Even if they lose body parts, it can still feel like it's there sometimes.
Still feel that limb
The memory of that missing limb can continue to haunt war victims.
As they did before
The feeling of the missing limb might still feel as real as it did before.
He lay on a cot
A veteran soldier lay on a hospital bed.
He was drenched in a sweat
His anxiety and fear from the war caused him to drenched in sweat.
He was mute and staring
He was in such a state of shock and horror that he couldn't speak or move.
But feeling the thing
He could still remember what it was like to feel his missing limb.
He had not
His condition hadn't improved.
I know how it is
The artist can empathize with the struggles of war victims.
When something is gone
When you lose something that's an integral part of yourself.
A piece of your eyesight
You lose clarity and perception of what's happening around you.
Or maybe your vision
Your goals and aspirations are clouded by the trauma and loss you've endured.
A corner of sense
You can't make sense of certain things in your life.
Goes blank on the screen
The confusion and trauma in your mind blocks your ability to understand and process things.
A piece of the scan
Your past experiences might fill in the blanks of new ones.
Gets filled in by hand
Your ability to feel and remember can cause you to recreate new memories based on past experiences.
You know that it was
You're aware something was there before.
And now it is not
You realize that you've lost it.
So you just make do with
You have to adapt to your new reality, despite its limitations.
Whatever you've got
You're left with whatever you have left after everything is said and done.
If your nerve is cut
When you've lost your will to fight and survive.
If you're kept on the stretch
When your resilience and strength are stretched to their limits.
You don't feel your will
You feel hopeless and powerless.
You can't find your gut
You can't tap into the courage and strength that was once a part of you.
And she lay on her back
A female soldier was also struggling with the psychological aftermath of war.
She made sure she was hid
She was trying to shield and protect herself from any more trauma.
Not feeling the thing
She was no longer feeling any attachment or connection to her past.
That she did
She had become emotionally numb after experiencing immense loss and pain.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SUZANNE VEGA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind