歌手：Leonard Cohen

作词：Leonard Cohen

作曲：Leonard Cohen

创作/发行：1967年

   Leonard Cohen（1934–2016）出生于加拿大魁北克蒙特利尔（Montreal）一犹太中产家庭，父亲早逝，Leonard Cohen就是仗着父亲的遗产，让他年轻时，可以诗人、小说家、创作人、歌手等不同身份，追逐自己的梦想。

Leonard Cohen（网上图片）

   开始的时候，Leonard Cohen主力写诗，作品离不开爱情、欲望、背叛、救赎、宗教、战争以至生死等主题，《Suzanne》就是Leonard Cohen以诗成曲的其一代表作。

私家珍藏（相片由作者提供）

   Suzanne真有其人，全名Suzanne Verdal，本身为舞蹈员，六十年代跟Leonard Cohen邂逅时已为人妻。俩人经常见面，河边细语漫步，伴随着长空、海藻、花丛、孩童、水手、故乡、圣母堂，还有那从唐人街买来的甜橙和红茶……

Suzanne Verdal（网上图片）

   一次柏拉图式的爱恋，一段精神上的肉欲关系，一切凭诗寄意，却注定无疾而终。

《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

   此曲首唱并非Leonard Cohen本人而是Judy Collins，她似乎总是独具慧眼，好歌永远先落在她手里，唱得叫好叫座，为别人铺路，其后创作人亲自演绎，大多更上层楼，前文【歌词背后】的Both Sides, Now正正如此。

   几十年来，不少电影以此曲作配乐，亦先后改编成多国语言版本，包括法国、意大利、荷兰、芬兰及瑞典等，翻唱的人不知凡几，其中Bob Dylan就曾在其1978年演唱会选唱此曲。

   歌曲既然大卖，创作人收到的版税，合该非常可观，这偏偏跟Leonard Cohen沾不上边，因为此曲的版权，在他糊里胡涂的情况下，老早签予别人。

   经历过也不一定会学乖！这就是典型艺术家的脾性，因为他们只沉醉于一己所爱。不敢谬言批评他们“离地”，在“有心人”的眼里，他们却是彻头彻尾的“易骗”。

   Kelley Lynch乃Leonard Cohen的经理人，他俩十七年来犹如亲人般的合作，让Kelley Lynch可以不动声色地，不停出售Leonard Cohen作品的版权，以至盗用银行存款，侵吞Leonard Cohen超过500万美元的退休基金，据说待Leonard Cohen于2005年发现时，存款只剩下15000美元。

Kelley Lynch（网上图片）

   迫不得已，重出江湖，Leonard Cohen以七十多岁高龄，于2008年作出世界性巡回演唱会。四、五年间，马不停蹄，在世界各地不同剧院，共进行了几近四百场的演出。

   最初，可能是为了还债为了生计，一路唱不停，在找回自己的一刻，继续坚持唱下去，那早就变成了一种享受，一份只有自己才懂的感受！

   人到暮年，逆风而行，他没有怨，就是打从心底不曾抱怨！他看得透：万物都有裂缝，那正是光照进来的契机。(“There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in.”- Leonard Cohen《Selected Poems 1956-1968》)

（网上图片）

   《经济通》所刊的署名及／或不署名文章，相关内容属作者个人意见，并不代表《经济通》立场，《经济通》所扮演的角色是提供一个自由言论平台。