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.
Widow's Walk
Suzanne Vega Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I will tell you why.
It's not the man, but it's the marriage
That was drowned.
So I walk the walk
And wait with watchful eye out to the sky,
Looking for a kind of vessel
Though I saw it splinter
I keep looking out to sea,
Like a dog with little sense,
I keep returning,
To the very area where
I did see the thing go down
As if there's something at the site
I should be learning.
That line is the horizon.
We watch the wind and set the sail,
But save ourselves when all omens
Point to fail.
If I tell the truth
Then I will have to tell you this
Though I grieve (and I believe
I feel it truly)
But I knew that ship was empty
By the time it hit the rocks,
We could not hold on
When fate became unruly.
So consider me a widow, boys,
And I have told you why.
Does the weather say
A better day is nearing?
I'll set my house in order now
And wait upon the Will
It's clear that I need
Better skill in steering
That line is the horizon.
We watch the wind and set the sail,
But save ourselves when all omens
Point to fail.
In Suzanne Vega's song "Widow's Walk," the singer compares herself to a widow, but it's not because her husband has died. Instead, it's the marriage that has drowned, and she is left waiting for some kind of vessel that she has never found. The singer keeps looking out to sea, even though she knows that the ship sank, and she continues returning to the same spot where she saw it go down. It's as if she feels like there is something she should be learning from that site. She mentions that the line on the horizon is significant because they watch the wind and set the sail, but when all omens point to fail, they need to save themselves.
The second verse reveals that the singer knew that the ship was empty by the time it hit the rocks. She grieves, but she also knows that there was nothing more they could have done when fate became unruly. She ends the song by saying that she'll set her house in order now and wait upon the Will. It's clear that she needs to have better skills in steering her life, just as she needs to steer a ship. The song suggests that life is like a voyage, and we need to be prepared to face whatever comes our way.
Line by Line Meaning
Consider me a widow, boys
Label me a widow, gentlemen
And I will tell you why.
I'll explain my reasoning shortly
It's not the man, but it's the marriage
It's not the individual, but the commitment
That was drowned.
That was the one that perished
So I walk the walk
Thus, I keep plodding on
And wait with watchful eye out to the sky,
I'm alertly scanning the heavens
Looking for a kind of vessel
I'm seeking a different kind of craft
I have never found.
One that remains elusive and unseen
Though I saw it splinter
Despite seeing it break apart
I keep looking out to sea,
I persist in scanning the sea
Like a dog with little sense,
Like a canine lacking in logic
I keep returning,
I continue coming back
To the very area where
To the precise location where
I did see the thing go down
I observed it sink
As if there's something at the site
As if there's something consequential at that spot
I should be learning.
That I should be acquiring some knowledge from it
That line is the horizon.
This sentence represents the horizon
We watch the wind and set the sail,
We monitor the wind and adjust the sail accordingly
But save ourselves when all omens
But we must save ourselves when all portents
Point to fail.
Signal that things are headed towards ruin.
If I tell the truth
If I am honest
Then I will have to tell you this
I would have to tell you what follows
Though I grieve (and I believe
Despite being sorrowful (and I affirm
I feel it truly)
That I genuinely sense it)
But I knew that ship was empty
However, I believed that ship was vacant
By the time it hit the rocks,
At the moment it collided with the stones,
We could not hold on
We were unable to cling to it
When fate became unruly.
When destiny became reckless.
So consider me a widow, boys,
Thus view me as a widow, fellows
And I have told you why.
And I have given you the reasons.
Does the weather say
Is the atmospheric condition indicating
A better day is nearing?
That a superior day is approaching?
I'll set my house in order now
I will organize my affairs presently
And wait upon the Will
And expectantly await providence
It's clear that I need
It's evident that I require
Better skill in steering
Enhanced capacity to steer my ship
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: SUZANNE VEGA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind