Number 7

Suzanne

Leonard Cohen

I never used to like Leonard Cohen. I thought he was rather too dreary and that he didn’t really sing his songs. Now though, I find they speak to me in a way that few others do. Suzanne is probably his most famous song, although the same album it appears on contains many other immense tracks.

Now Suzanne appeals to me, or even breaks my heart, for its 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

Before I had cancer and from the age of 16, I thought my body was awful. I’m not going to detail what I hated about it because this idea will resonate with masses of people. It just wasn’t perfect or even anywhere near it. Then last year and the year before (2019 and 2018), I had chemotherapy, radiotherapy and three surgeries. My imperfect body coped with all these assaults on it and each time sprung back ready for the next awful experience. As far as I could, I made it carry on walking the dogs, riding my pony, looking after the garden and so on and so on and so on. Towards the end of 2019, I started thinking what an amazing body I had had and how damaged it is now. I have a few scars – one (liver resection) is pretty big and in a reverse L-shape across my once perfect stomach. I have an ileostomy (hopefully reversible) and am nearly always uncomfortable. Now can you see how this song moves me? You’ve touched her perfect body with your mind. I will never again have that perfect body. I will live with these scars that tell me my body is perfect. It is perfect, perfect, perfect. It is the best body I will ever have and I love it to bits.

Now to the song. I feel this song in my perfect body. I feel Leonard Cohen’s pain and emotion. I feel he can almost not sing this song because it hurts him so much. He sings it so beautifully. God I love this song.

Suzanne

My favourite version is sung by Leonard Cohen, obviously. It’s his voice that makes it. However, there are other versions that are worth a listen.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6o6zMPLcXZ8

This is Cohen. He explains, without rancour, that the rights were stolen from him, and maybe this makes the song better for it never made him rich.

Joan Baez who has the most crystal clear voice ever and a pedigree as long as the tracks of the Danville train (The night they drove ole dixie down).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39eFrEzZmYE