This has been one of my favorite James Taylor Songs for quite sometime. After listening to the haunting lyrics during a September 11 discussion, I decided to look up the meaning of the lyrics.
It’s a sad mournful song full of melancholy.
The first line:
“Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone
Susanne the plans they made put an end to you”
James just found out his friend had committed suicide at least a month earlier.
In the next verse, he is praying to Jesus to help get off Heroin. I don’t quite understand the final verse but it is apparently about time James spent in an Institution.
When you know the lyrics and understand the meaning, you gain a different perspective on some events past. And you can see it in the words “Susanne the plans they made put an end to you…”
For me, it’s the chorus that gets me:
Oh, I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain
I’ve seen sunny days that I thought would never end
I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend
But I always thought that I’d see you, baby, one more time again, now
There are always sunny and happy times in our lives that we want to continue forever. Those are the times you look back at and smile about, because it was so good.
There are also lonely times when every thing feels dark and bleak. Times when you feel the darkness will never end.
The last sentiment for me – tells me that any thing can happen at any minute. Don’t forget to do the important things. Say thank you, do something nice. Do something, that if you were to leave or die suddenly, so that people will know your legacy fondly.
If people have negative things to say when you walk away, they are going to get worse when you die.
Live like you want to be missed.