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
and that 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
———
ah, great lyrics, i once mailed them to a man i was in love with when i was 25. i wanted him to travel with me, i wanted him to travel blind. he got married instead, to a canadian. watched I’m Your Man last night. the incredible Leonard Cohen. see it. it will remind of you of all that you want to be and all the love you want to give. even if nothing happens as you think it will.

the film interweaves artists performing covers and interviews with him. he tells the story of writing “Suzanne,” and confesses the line “tea and oranges that come all the way from China” refers to Constant Comment tea.