Caramel - Suzanne Vega


'Caramel' a wonderfully laidback vignette from Suzanne Vega's 1996 album Nine Objects of Desire (A&M). It has a solid and respectable bossa nova beat ("It won't do / to dream of caramel / to think of cinnamon / and long for you"), with an equally fine, syncopated guitar accompaniment-not the kind of thing one associates with an American pop tune of the period, but not so rare as to be totally off-course. Factor in Vega's hushed and reflective tone, and a modern-day classic was born. Caramel is a kind of sweet candy. In this song, a woman consoles herself with food because she misses her lover. Says Vega, "It's a song about longing for something and wishing for something you know you really shouldn't have. Caramel is the metaphor for the thing you long for, but you shouldn't really touch."

Lyrics for: Caramel

It won't do
to dream of caramel,
to think of cinnamon
and long for you.

It won't do
to stir a deep desire,
to fan a hidden fire
that can never burn true.

I know your name,
I know your skin,
I know the way
these things begin;

But I don't know
how I would live with myself,
what I'd forgive of myself
if you don't go.

So goodbye,
sweet appetite,
no single bite
could satisfy...

I know your name,
I know your skin,
I know the way
these things begin;

But I don't know
what I would give of myself,
how I would live with myself
if you don't go.

It won't do
to dream of caramel,
to think of cinnamon
and long
for you.