【歌詞背後】Suzanne

歌手：Leonard Cohen

作詞：Leonard Cohen

作曲： Leonard Cohen

創作/發行：1967年

 

　　Leonard Cohen（1934–2016）出生於加拿大魁北克蒙特利爾（Montreal） 一猶太中產家庭，父親早逝，Leonard Cohen 就是仗著父親的遺產，讓他年輕時，可以詩人、小說家、創作人、歌手等不同身份，追逐自己的夢想。

 

Leonard Cohen（網上圖片）

 

　　開始的時候，Leonard Cohen主力寫詩，作品離不開愛情、欲望、背叛、救贖、宗教、戰爭以至生死等主題，《Suzanne》就是Leonard Cohen以詩成曲的其一代表作。

 

私家珍藏（相片由作者提供）

 

　　Suzanne真有其人，全名Suzanne Verdal，本身為舞蹈員，六十年代跟Leonard Cohen邂逅時已為人妻。倆人經常見面，河邊細語漫步，伴隨著長空、海藻、花叢、孩童、 水手、故鄉、聖母堂，還有那從唐人街買來的甜橙和紅茶 ……

 

Suzanne Verdal（網上圖片）

 

　　一次柏拉圖式的愛戀，一段精神上的肉慾關係，一切憑詩寄意，卻註定無疾而終。

 

《Suzanne》

 

[Verse 1]

Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river

You can hear the boats go by

You can spend the night beside her

And you know that she's half crazy

But that's why you want to be there

And she feeds you tea and oranges

That come all the way from China

And just when you mean to tell her

That you have no love to give her

Then 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 know that she will trust you

For you've touched her perfect body with your mind

 

[Verse 2]

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 will 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

 

[Chorus]

And you want to travel with him

And you want to travel blind

And you think maybe you'll trust him

For he's touched your perfect body with his mind

 

[Verse 3]

Now Suzanne takes your hand

And she leads you to the river

She is wearing rags and feathers

From Salvation Army counters

And the sun pours down like honey

On Our Lady of the Harbour

And she shows you where to look

Among 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 will lean that way forever

While Suzanne holds the mirror

 

[Chorus]

And you want to travel with her

And you want to travel blind

And you know you can trust her

For she's touched your perfect body with her mind

 

　　此曲首唱並非Leonard Cohen本人而是Judy Collins，她似乎總是獨具慧眼，好歌永遠先落在她手裏，唱得叫好叫座，為別人鋪路，其後創作人親自演繹，大多更上層樓，前文【歌詞背後】的Both Sides, Now正正如此。

 

　　幾十年來，不少電影以此曲作配樂，亦先後改編成多國語言版本，包括法國、意大利、荷蘭、芬蘭及瑞典等，翻唱的人不知凡幾，其中Bob Dylan 就曾在其1978年演唱會選唱此曲。

 

　　歌曲既然大賣，創作人收到的版稅，合該非常可觀，這偏偏跟Leonard Cohen沾不上邊，因為此曲的版權，在他糊裏糊塗的情況下，老早簽予別人。

 

　　經歷過也不一定會學乖！這就是典型藝術家的脾性，因為他們只沉醉於一己所愛。不敢謬言批評他們「離地」，在「有心人」的眼裏，他們卻是徹頭徹尾的「易騙」。

 

　　Kelley Lynch乃Leonard Cohen的經理人，他倆十七年來猶如親人般的合作，讓Kelley Lynch可以不動聲色地，不停出售Leonard Cohen作品的版權，以至盜用銀行存款，侵吞Leonard Cohen超過500萬美元的退休基金，據說待Leonard Cohen於2005年發現時，存款只剩下15000美元。

 

Kelley Lynch（網上圖片）

 

　　迫不得已，重出江湖，Leonard Cohen以七十多歲高齡，於2008年作出世界性巡迴演唱會。四、五年間，馬不停蹄，在世界各地不同劇院，共進行了幾近四百場的演出。

 

　　最初，可能是為了還債為了生計，一路唱不停，在找回自己的一刻，繼續堅持唱下去，那早就變成了一種享受，一份只有自己才懂的感受！

 

　　人到暮年，逆風而行，他沒有怨，就是打從心底不曾抱怨！他看得透：萬物都有裂縫，那正是光照進來的契機。(“There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in.”  - Leonard Cohen《Selected Poems 1956-1968》)  

 

（網上圖片）

 

 

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