Suzannah's Still Alive

No comments? When this has been up here for over four years? gosh.

I'm not sure whether this has anything to do with the meaning of the song, but in Dave Davies other song 'Death of a Clown' there's a line that says, "I'm drowning my sorrows in whisky and gin" In this song there's a line that says, "Whiskey or gin, that's alright" I think this song is either about a woman 'Suzannah' who is extremely lonely and " sleeps with the covers down Hopin' that somebody gets in", or its about a woman who's partner went to war and every night she hopes he comes back. "She's got a picture on the table Of a man who is young and able" "She's waiting for a soldier to come home But she'll cry and never die"

I think it's a combination of what comedancing says.

Susannah's lover / husband / partner was a soldier who went off to war. Presumably he died. She's desperately lonely and has turned to alcohol to replace the lack of someone with her. She cries every night, and it seems that she'll never escape from the misery (by dying).

I interpret the title as emphasizing the fact that she's still alive, while he's died, and that she has no choice but to keep living and keep bearing the sadness - she can't win.

The song isn't explicit that he died, but I feel that's the meaning which fits best.

(btw the name of the song is actually "Susannah's Still Alive" with an 's'.)

The song is reminiscent of Oh Susanna to me. It seems like the title is challenging the listener by saying that while the character of that song (Oh! Susanna) might be dead, Susannah herself is still very much alive and has to deal with the death or absence of her loved one. It doesn't matter that the man from Oh! Susanna is constantly telling her "Susanna don't you cry" or trying to console her, she's going to cry regardless. Because of the nature of "Oh! Susanna", in that her character is completely unresolved and that the story is static, she's stuck in limbo and knows "she can't ever win" and "she'll cry and never die" forever.

It sounds like poor Susannah has also developed a drinking problem to a certain extent. It's interesting though to see how many times the phrase "whiskey and gin" have been used together in music. I was just listening to some Elliott Smith (who was a fan of the Kinks and Ray Davies) and heard the combination come up in his song "We're All Friends Now". I'm guessing a subliminal influence of the Kinks :)

I would think it's about Dave's first love Sue. They had a kid together when he was a teenager, but then they were separated by their families, and he didn't see her again for many years. He still loved her, though. Dave says in his autobiography that a lot of his songs in those days were about Sue.