Suzanne Vega - The Queen and The Soldier

[MattKmyHero]

Used to sing this song at sleep away camp when I was young. Still get a bit teary eyed.

[MelissaAnnBentley]

But the crown, it had fallen, and she thought she would break

And she stood there, ashamed of the way her heart ached

She took him to the doorstep and she asked him to wait

She would only be a moment inside.

Getting a tattoo of that in times new roman font on my hip.

My favourite part of my favourite song ever. <3

[Thereisonlythemoment]

Emotionally immature, shut down, fearful. With great power comes great responsibility. He was the chink in her armor - so "Off with his head". I love the way she weaves her magical stories.

[UpRoaryus]

Damn it. I forgot why I had not listened to this song for so long - It breaks my heart EVERY f***ing time. Too much for me to take. I'm sure I've not listened to it even 10 times in my life but I remember it too clearly now. Dangerously powerful piece.

[LittlexLizzy]

-sniff, sniff-

Can't cry, can't cry.

...

Dx

[BloodnWinter]

One of the most epic songs ever... 

[TaliTheBuzz]

i f***ing love this song

[UndeadMusicRulezz]

this song makes life worth living

[TheJessDisLeague]

I think he looks familiar to him because so many soldiers have come to ask her why they're fighting her wars. He's just kinda faceless, looks like all the rest of the people fighting for her.

[PistolPete483]

Life is for living when you hear things like this

[Mskgigi]

People who are hurting cause a lot of pain and destruction around them. Thats the main jist.

[charleston]

Let us not have any more talk of this "womb" nonsense. It's clearly a "dialogue between the ego and the alter-ego", as Simon le Bon himself once said.

[PeaceLoveandMovies]

it's about sex, what else could 'down the long narrow hall he was led

into her room with her tapestries red' mean?

one of the few songs that can make me cry every time i hear it!

[SuperGetitgotitgood]

very sweet song

[ilinaeternity]

allegorical or literal, this is beautiful, and the lyrics ignite humility and provoke your mind and heart.

[esmepumpkin]

It's an allegory: It's the eternal struggle of men and women. 'The long narrow hall' is her womb. Women seek the best mate and men compete to reproduce. 'The secret burning thread' is her period - it is her strength (potency) and weakness - which is why he 'bowed her down to the ground' . He 'won't march on her battle field' i.e. opts out of relationships. By doing so he can't reproduce and so is 'killed' - removed from the gene pool.

[calmbeforethestory]

@esmepumpkin I thought the "secret burning thread" was ambition and lust for power.

[curlzferrero]

@ChupacabraMaquina It was only because she was a child and afraid of love. She didn't know what it was and she hid from it. Yeah it's wrong but it's only a story.

[Beastypops]

sad story :(



[mrsschoenswetter]

when i run in the evening, i always listen to this song on my ipod.. so beautiful. and, i don`t know why, i can better run and i dont`notice how long i have been running..

[MrMissyminx]

AMAZING

[CallMeMidnightAngel]

I love this song sooooo much!

[Kamesango]

Thanks!

I love her voice and this is my favorite song.

I want to go to her live concert again. v(^o^)v

[lsw2941]

Can everyone tells me what this story is about? We're going to analyse this song in school in the music lessons, and i've chosen this, but I'm a bit confused what this song is about? Anbody please help me? Thanks :)

[elenore88]

@lsw2941 It's just a story. It is what it is. A silly girl in a position she knows nothing about and a soldier who is a soldier against his will.

[curlzferrero]

@lsw2941 The queen kills has the soldier killed because she loves him, but she doesn't know what that was and was afraid of it. The only easy way for her to deal with it was to remove him and hide from the world again.

[czasamify]

[2] This song makes I feel shivers and butterflies in my stomach...

[Jagarkar3]

The live version is better. This song makes I feel shivers and butterflies in my stomach...

[Jagarkar3]

The live version is better. This song makes I feel shivers and butterflies in my stomach...

[AlisaFardau]

Can someone tell me what the name of the picture is?

[Jihoew]

Such a good song!!

[malafea85]

@sarojinius That's so true! And it is so hard to handle all that.

[sarojinius]

Maybe this is allegorical; I think they are not really a queen and a soldier; I think its about those short, sad and disfunctional relationships where one, incapable of handling their emotions, is unable to open up and be vulnerable to the other, breaks the other's heart in the process (because the other one has allowed themself to be controlled by their own futile love), and ends up alone ( and also heartbroken) because that's safer. How often have I seen this, both in myself and others.

[davidrobert2007]

The soldier was shot for having integrity.

[sgtmac46]

@davidrobert2007 That is sometimes the price of integrity. 

[SuperNevile]

My favourite from the album. Used to play this over and over. All about the arrogance of rulers who send people to fight for now forgotten causes and the excuses they give when it all goes wrong. This 'ruler' has gone even further, by giving personal excuses for blinding themselves to their responsiblity for starting the war in the first place and which seems fated to continue forever. This was written in the 80's ~ wonder which war this was an allegory for. Brilliant and perceptive tho'

[moneyka31]

I listen to every word of this song over and over and I still can figure out why he looked so familiar to her??? any theories???

[ashortnomad]

@moneyka31 prob because she sees so much of herself in him. so unwilling to play the part she's been assigned. but where the solider can relinquish his post, she cannot abandon her crown.

[bluebirdING]

@moneyka31

i think he looked familiar because he reminded her of somone she fell in love with some time ago and who made her vulnerable, but she could not be happy with (because the relationship broke up or because she couldn't even start the relationship,being unable to open up) so sometimes she meets people who remind her of her needs and possibilities wich, to her, seem impossible. and that's what aches,everytime. so it might be a person that she remembers or just the feeling that's familiar

[Dante3025]

Had the privilege to Hear this Live on Friday 22nd Oct 2010 In Vicar St. Dublin. Such a great Show, just her, a very good guitarist & fantastic Songs with real meaning

[thekidsatno80]

So many people have tried to interpret this song. I always thought it was about the Queen not understanding having periods. She didn't like bleeding and so sent the men out to fight and suffer. Any woman that suffers from bad periods can relate to this woman (if you lived in her day and age and just happened to be a Queen).

[Kamadev888]

Sounds like a 'beautiful' song.

But it's idiotic and ridiculous, when you think about it.

The queen was a 'victim'? For allowing, and ordering, her people to kill and be killed? Instead of marrying the bravest man in the kingdom?

Skip this, people, and laud it not so much, just because of the nice melody - the message sucks.

I recommend Wilfred Owen's 'Dulce et Decorum Est'.

[Eoinda]

I love this song it's such a sad love story. T.T

[leolita2001]

One of my favourite songs ever

[RasRawB]

the truth hurts...

[israelbrener]

suzanne is a real pure hearted queen

[israelbrener]

suzanne is a real pure queen

[REIworker]

i was the soldier once before

[socratesfuckedplato]

vega forever

[alastarter]

wow,

[4evarimahiko]

so freaking sad!!! -sobs histerically- :(

[tall32guy]

@4evarimahiko lol

[markyc1980]

First time i've heard this song thanks to a friend sharing it with me. I think as with many other songs it means different things to different people and you find your own meaning to it depending on how you are at the time.

Either way, I loved it!

[Branbl7]

This is one of the best songs ever... and so sad. ;_;

I saw her live once, but was too young to really listen to her music..a waste. I'd go again any day.

[cocoaorange]

wow, it's sad but it's so meaningful!!! i'm getting story ideas each time i listen to this song!!!!! *super excited*

[oeyesea]

It's subjective if the Queen is stronger than the Soldier. The Soldier is willing to live for himself and is brave enough to try to live the life he choses while the Queen looks thru the window, wanting freedom, but she was willing to sacrifice her wants for her kingdom and suffer that secret burning thread.

[Hamsterini10]

brilliant song love the message really told a story

[larreylee]

wow. simplicity, yet greatness. hard to explain. love it.

[kiddosjn]

ive always loved this song cuz it tells such a good story...ive always identified with it, and feel i understand the queen...i think its about a woman who has trouble opening up and is constantly distracted with her own inner battle...even when a man tries to get close to her she shuts him out as much as she wants to let him in...i know her very very well...

[oeyesea]

She didn't like being queen anymore than he liked being a soldier.

[VeryFastKid]

@oeyesea, I would not exactly agree, she could always abdicate. And when a soldier just refuses his duty then he will become a traitor of his country

[surfercutie2008]

this song was always my favorite to listen to in my moms car when i was younger.

i did a cover..lemmie know if it sucks heh

[gammergq]

This is clever lyrics the beauty of this song it could be intrepreted as an insecure man having an unrequented feelings for a cold women and him always being there for her but she is not opening up to him he finally losses patience and commits suicide.

[TheMeganAlyson]

@gammergq good interpretation, but "Out in the distance her order was heard And the soldier was killed, still waiting for her word", he didn't commit suicide.

[catnorrell1983]

I think this a great interp. "her orders" could just be the constant rejection. People need to be more open and hear "more" then the words. i love love love this song.

[Renix05]

sad story,

she sentenced the knights death rite?

[kingweirdodude]

Yeah she did. Although I don't see him as a knight, more like a WW1 soldier, dunno why.

[JammyBtard]

Wow, such a sad story.

[tall32guy]

@JammyBtard This is a good recording of the song. To me, the newer performances of it are better than the original recording. The original doesn't have the emotion her other recordings of it do.