Suzanne Vega in Winter 2014/2015

In the days before Facebook was available for posting all your favourite teen angst song lyrics there was another way. In the eighties I had a set of pretty, pastel fibre tip pens and I had reams of pretty writing paper. I used to write out the lyrics in my best, fancy handwriting before blue tacking them to the sloping ceiling in my small, cosy bedroom.

Those lyrics were invariably those of Suzanne Vega or Tori Amos. Although I loved other music, those two spoke to me (a pretentious phrase, but I’m not sure how else to describe it).

This one always makes me cry as it reaches the line ‘And to love a young woman who I don’t understand.’

Suzanne Vega - The Queen And The Soldier:

This next one was the way I felt. I didn’t always fit into school in a small northern town. My dad was a doctor while a lot of my classmates were from farming, ship building or mining families. There were many others, of course, but I was also brought up to have self confidence and to believe in myself. Since a lot of people at school dismissed me for those reasons (and others that I may not know of) I separated myself. I made myself different, and enjoyed doing so.

Suzanne Vega - Left Of Center:

This one was my safe song, my bubble. As long as I could turn myself into a marble or an eye, as long as I came raining down in pieces and scattering like light then I was safe. I kept myself safe.

Suzanne Vega - Small Blue Thing:

This was sung in my head during many nights awake when depression hit as well as in happiness when I was holding and feeding my babies.

Suzanne Vega Gypsy - Lyricized:

Of course, we can’t write anything about Ms Vega without mention of Tom and his diner, without discussing everyone’s preoccupation of themselves and why it’s unlikely that anyone has even noticed you.

Suzanne Vega - Tom’s Diner (1986):

There are so many more, some that hurt too much to share and explain, but I have decided that I need to re explore, there are decades of her music that I’ve missed.

I just need some pastel pens and pretty paper on which to write it all down.

Last updated February 18, 2015