Suzanne takes you down to her place by the river
You can hear the boats go by, you can spend the night forever
And you know that she's half crazy and that's why you want to be there
And she feeds you tea and oranges that came all the way from China
And just when you want to tell her that you have no love to give her
She gets you on her wavelength and she lets the river answer
That you've always been her lover

[Chorus]
And you want to travel with her and you want to travel blind
And you think you maybe trust her 'cause she's touched your perfect body
With her mind

And Jesus was a sailor when he walked upon the water
And he spent a long time watching from his lonely wooden tower
And when he knew for certain only drowning men could see him
He said all men shall be sailors then until the sea shall free them
But he himself was broken long before the sky would open
Forsaken almost human he sank beneath your wisdom like a stone
And you want to travel with him

Cause he's
Suzanne takes your hand and she leads you to the river
She's wearing rags and feathers from Salvation Army counters
And the sun pours down like honey on our lady of the harbor
And she shows you where to look amid the garbage and the flowers
There are heroes in the seaweed, there are children in the morning
They are leaning out for love and they'll lean that way forever
While Suzanne holds her mirror

And you want to travel with her
Cause you've touched her perfect body with your mind



Lyrics submitted by typo

Track duration: 03:47

"Suzanne" as written by Leonard Cohen

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

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Suzanne song meanings
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  • 0
    Song Meaning:This song is about a real life incident. The protagonist is Suzanne Verdal, ex-wife of sculptor Armand Vaillancourt. Suzanne, Armand and Leonard Cohen were (and are still) very good friends, and the incident which Leonard Cohen describes happened in the hippie community of Montreal in the early 1960s. Suzanne Verdal was serving herbal tea while Armand and Leonard were chatting and strumming guitar, and Suzanne and Leonard had a "soul sibling" moment - they felt as if their souls had touched each other. Nothing sexual, drugs or deeper meaning in this song, but a nice description of the St. Lawrence River at Montreal, Canada.
    Flag suviljanon May 19, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:This song brings love as a door to connect with divinity. It's god see through love, so you can recognize there salvation and mysticism When Suzanne has a mirror, then the children can love. This could refer to the discovering of the beauty of self soul through love. Suzanne is a reflection of Cohen's love and it works in both directions. You discover and you are discovered. When you realize the power inside your love you recognize God. Jesus is the spiritual explanation of love between them and, in last instance, is through life and nature and god that we feel love. And maybe, only through pain and suffering begins the looking for meaning.
    Flag Maritereon April 14, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:No No.. This song is about house shopping. Suzanne is a real estate agent. The Jesus references equate to the painful nature we all share regarding debt. The perfect body being touched refers to how hard we all must work. Modern capitalism is essentially then a throw back to Spinozan Suffering. The night lasts forever because the boats are so loud. Suzanne is half crazy also because of the loud boats, but this area is exciting and we can see the beaten nature of the city in a new light if we look for it. So, Heros are in the seeweed are people who continue to live in flood plain areas. The children always lean to look for love. Clearly. Duh. HAHAH.
    Flag saxdeson February 08, 2013   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:Couldn't Suzanne represent (hard) drugs??? She's dangerously tempting despite the beauty around and believe / faith in goodness.
    Just a thought!
    Flag Cygyon January 30, 2013   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I wonder if Leonard Cohen even knows what this song is really talking about. I believe that he was the instrument that the Spirit used to bring this song into existence. This song is sort of like when Christ turned the water into wine at the wedding feast of Canan. It is about esoteric and hidden teaching that is given by God through the lovers. Jesus is the "Hero in the Seaweed" and Suzanne is the "children in the morning" Her holding the mirror is referring to her being able to see hidden teachings and she tries to teach her lover but he can't understand until God, (the river) opens his eyes. It has a very very deep meaning and it is hidden in God. Van Morrison also shares in these gifts of the Spirit given to the children of God, so beautiful are our God's gifts.
    Flag dmoreharton October 02, 2012   Link
  • +1
    My Opinion:i cried the first time i heard this song.
    Flag heidismellson May 23, 2012   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Drowning (dying) symbolizes surrender and letting go. When you surrender & let go in life you have chosen to live in full faith & trust. So only in surrender can you see God (grace, the divine, love, Jesus)... until then we shall all be sailors, sailing back & forth across the water with the memory of God sunken beneath us. The Lady of the Harbor is like Mother Mary showing us where to look 'amid the garbage and the flowers' because there lies heros and miracles and magic. You need to be able to see beyond the immediate appearances of the outer world, to look within to find the kingdom of heaven... letting go of ego based beliefs and returning to the heart when you make choices is symbolic of returning to Christ consciousness, love, peace, acceptance, self-responsibility. The Gospel of Thomas ~ 'But if you will not know yourself, then you dwell in poverty, and it is you who are that poverty' So, The sea will free you when you know how to drown (to surrender & really LIVE) :)
    Flag ommanipadmehumon March 04, 2012   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:I would actually rather think about what this song means than know for certain. My mom sang this song to me when putting me to bed for years along with "Sweet Sir Galahad" by Joan Biaz. I am now 26 and have been singing the same two songs to my children for 7 years. I think both songs give a really peaceful mind set.
    Flag loglalmomon July 18, 2011   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:Water is love. It is the All-Mother. It is all encompassing. Both soft and hard. Imperceptibly vast in span and depth. It engulfs. It nourishes. Nothing grows without it. It is the purest of loves. It is unconditional. All faith is in it. The duality of mind and body is bridged for but a moment upon its being felt.

    A play on words regarding the word seamen is relevant. For when you are born, your mother has given birth (berth) and you come from her waters (amniotic fluid). If you understand the key / quay you will remember from whence you came.
    Flag maybejustmaybeon May 25, 2011   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:And when he knew for certain
    Only drowning men could see him
    He said "All men will be sailors then
    Until the sea shall free them

    This, to me, is the most touching part of the song. I think there are levels of meaning behind these lines, as there are with several others in the song... But to me this is the kind of analysis of faith that most preachers and ministers are hesitant to make... We humans so often come to faith through crisis. God notes this and allows us to suffer because it helps us initiate our relationships with him.

    I also want to note that the two most beautiful songs (in my opinion) that refer to Jesus are both by Jewish men- "Jokerman" by Bob Dylan and this song.
    Flag lindseymccolmon November 01, 2010   Link

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