Suzanne Vega - The Queen and The Soldier

The soldier came knocking upon the queen's door
He said, "I am not fighting for you any more"
The queen knew she'd seen his face someplace before
And slowly she let him inside.

He said, "I've watched your palace up here on the hill
And I've wondered who's the woman for whom we all kill
But I am leaving tomorrow and you can do what you will
Only first I am asking you why."

Down in the long narrow hall he was led
Into her rooms with her tapestries red
And she never once took the crown from her head
She asked him there to sit down.

He said, "I see you now, and you are so very young
But I've seen more battles lost than I have battles won
And I've got this intuition, says it's all for your fun
And now will you tell me why?"

The young queen, she fixed him with an arrogant eye
She said, "You won't understand, and you may as well not try"
But her face was a child's, and he thought she would cry
But she closed herself up like a fan.

And she said, "I've swallowed a secret burning thread
It cuts me inside, and often I've bled"
He laid his hand then on top of her head
And he bowed her down to the ground.

"Tell me how hungry are you? How weak you must feel
As you are living here alone, and you are never revealed
But I won't march again on your battlefield"
And he took her to the window to see.

And the sun, it was gold, though the sky, it was gray
And she wanted more than she ever could say
But she knew how it frightened her, and she turned away
And would not look at his face again.

And he said, "I want to live as an honest man
To get all I deserve and to give all I can
And to love a young woman who I don't understand
Your highness, your ways are very strange."

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.

Out in the distance her order was heard
And the soldier was killed, still waiting for her word
And while the queen went on strangeling in the solitude she preferred
The battle continued on

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Suzanne
• Vega
• Queen
• Soldier
• Lyrics
• Meaning
• In
• Songs
• Good
• Luka
• 90s

[oeyesea]

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

[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.

[happyasafool]

Epic : )

[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.