Suzanne – Bilingual Lyrics Italian/English

• By: Fabrizio De André
• Album: Canzoni

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the captivating world of Fabrizio De André's "Suzanne," an Italian adaptation of Leonard Cohen's classic. This folk ballad offers a poetic journey into themes of love, spirituality, and the mystical allure of a unique muse, inviting listeners to explore rich lyrical imagery and emotive storytelling.

[English]

In her place by the river

Suzanne wanted you by her side

And now you listen to the boats go by

Now you can sleep beside her

Yes, you know she's crazy

But that's why you're with her

And she offers you tea and oranges

That she brought from China

And just as you're about to tell her

That you have no love to offer her

She's already on your wave

And makes the river respond to you

That you've always been lovers

And you want to travel with her

You want to travel with her blindly

Because you know you've touched her body

Her perfect body with the mind

And Jesus was a sailor

As long as he walked on water

And he stayed for a long time

Watching alone

From his wooden tower

And then when he was sure

That only the drowned

Were allowed to see him, he said

“Be sailors

Until the sea sets you free”

And he himself was broken

But more human, abandoned

In our minds he did not sink

And you want to travel with him

You want to travel with him blindly

Maybe you'll trust him

Because he touched your body with the mind

And Suzanne gives you her hand

She accompanies you along the river

Wearing rags and feathers

Taken from some dormitory

The sun descends like honey

On her, woman of the port

Who shows you the colors

Among the trash and the flowers

You discover heroes among the rotting seaweed

And children in the morning

Who lean towards love

And so they will always do

And Suzanne holds the mirror

And you want to travel with her

You want to travel with her blindly

Because you know she has touched your body

Your perfect body with the mind

...

[Italian]

Nel suo posto in riva al fiume

Suzanne ti ha voluto accanto

E ora ascolti andar le barche

Ora puoi dormirle al fianco

Si lo sai che lei è pazza

Ma per questo sei con lei

E ti offre il tè e le arance

Che ha portato dalla Cina

E proprio mentre stai per dirle

Che non hai amore da offrirle

Lei è già sulla tua onda

E fa che il fiume ti risponda

Che da sempre siete amanti

E tu vuoi viaggiarle insieme

Vuoi viaggiarle insieme ciecamente

Perché sai che le hai toccato il corpo

Il suo corpo perfetto con la mente

E Gesù fu un marinaio

Finchè camminò sull'acqua

E restò per molto tempo

A guardare solitario

Dalla sua torre di legno

E poi quando fu sicuro

Che soltanto agli annegati

Fosse dato di vederlo disse

"Siate marinai

Finchè il mare vi libererà"

E lui stesso fu spezzato

Ma più umano, abbandonato

Nella nostra mente lui non naufragò

E tu vuoi viaggiargli insieme

Vuoi viaggiargli insieme ciecamente

Forse avrai fiducia in lui

Perché ti ha toccato il corpo con la mente

E Suzanne ti dà la mano

Ti accompagna lungo il fiume

Porta addosso stracci e piume

Presi in qualche dormitorio

Il sole scende come miele

Su di lei donna del porto

Che ti indica i colori

Fra la spazzatura e i fiori

Scopri eroi tra le alghe marce

E bambini nel mattino

Che si sporgono all'amore

E così faranno sempre

E Suzanne regge lo specchio

E tu vuoi viaggiarle insieme

Vuoi viaggiarle insieme ciecamente

Perché sai che ti ha toccato il corpo

Il tuo corpo perfetto con la mente

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
fiume /ˈfjume/ A2	noun - river
amore /aˈmo.re/ A2	noun - love
corpo /ˈkɔr.po/ B1	noun - body
mare /ˈma.re/ A2	noun - sea
viaggio /ˈvjaddʒo/ B1	noun - journey verb - to travel
mano /ˈma.no/ A1	noun - hand
donna /ˈdɔn.na/ A1	noun - woman
colore /koˈlo.re/ B1	noun - color
eroe /eˈro.e/ B2	noun - hero
specchio /ˈspɛk.kjo/ B2	noun - mirror
pazza /ˈpat.tsa/ B1	adjective - crazy
solitario /so.liˈta.rjo/ B2	adjective - lonely
tempo /ˈtɛm.po/ A2	noun - time
cielo /ˈtʃɛ.lo/ A2	noun - sky
stracci /ˈstrat.tʃi/ B2	noun - rags

Key Grammar Structures

• E ora ascolti andar le barche

  ➔ Use of the present tense to describe ongoing actions or events.

  ➔ The verb "ascolti" is in the present tense, indicating an ongoing action of listening.

• Lei è già sulla tua onda

  ➔ Use of the present tense with adverb "già" to indicate an action that has already occurred.

  ➔ The verb "è" is in the present tense, combined with "già" to show that she is already on your wave.

• Finchè camminò sull'acqua

  ➔ Use of the past tense to describe a completed action.

  ➔ The verb "camminò" is in the passato remoto, indicating a completed action in the past.

• E portò addosso stracci e piume

  ➔ Use of the passato remoto to describe a completed past action, with the verb "portò" meaning "brought" or "carried".

  ➔ The verb "portò" is in the passato remoto, a tense used in Italian to describe a completed action in the distant past.

• Che ha portato dalla Cina

  ➔ Use of the passato prossimo with "ha portato" to indicate a recent or completed action with relevance to the present.

  ➔ The phrase "ha portato" is in the passato prossimo tense, a compound tense in Italian used for recent completed actions.

• Che ha toccato il corpo con la mente

  ➔ Use of the passato prossimo with "ha toccato" to indicate a completed action of touching in the past, emphasizing the mental connection.

  ➔ The phrase "ha toccato" is in the passato prossimo, indicating a completed action of touching with a focus on mental connection.