(I'll Never Be Your) Maggie May

(I'll Never Be) Your Maggie May

I'll never be your Maggie May
The one you loved and left behind
The face you see in light of day
And then you cast away
That isn't me in that bed you'll find

I'd rather take myself away
Be like those ladies in Japan
Rather paint myself a face
Conjure up some grace
Or be the eyes behind a fan

And so you go
No girl could say no
To you

There's the way we may appear
But that will change from day to night
Would you ever see within?
Underneath the skin?
Could I believe you had that sight?

And so you go
No girl could say no
To you

I'll never be your Maggie May
The one you loved and then forgot
I'll love you first and let you go
Because it must be so
And you'll forgive or you will not

And so a woman leaves a man
And so a world turns on it's end
So I'll see your face in dreams
Where nothing's what it seems
Still you appear some kind of friend


Single release :
Lyrics :	Suzanne Vega
Copyright :	© 2001 Waifersongs Ltd. & WB Music Corp.
Album :	Songs In Red And Gray
"Songs In Red And Gray" - tracklist : Penitent Widow's Walk (I'll Never Be) Your Maggie May It Makes Me Wonder Soap And Water Song In Red And Gray Last Year's Troubles Priscilla If A Were A Weapon Harbor Song Machine Ballerina Solitaire St.Claire Golden* * Available on the Japanese Release only

Notes:

From Hugo Westerlund's "Suzanne Vega FAQ" (http://www.vega.net/faq/index.htm):
"One of the tracks on Songs in Red and Gray is called (I'll Never be) Your Maggie May. Who is this woman? As far as I know, she does not exist in real life, but is the character in Rod Stewart's famous song Maggie May. In this song, Maggie is an older woman, with whom the narrator, still a school boy, is infatuated."

"This is not about my husband, because my husband is older than I am, and the song is written to someone who's younger than me.
Interview in The Onion Av Club, November 21, 2001, Volume 37, Issue 42 (http://www.theonionavclub.com/avclub3742/avfeature_3742.html)

When that song came out I was in my teens and I really loved it. I thought, wow, that's such a cool song and it sounds so good, with the mandolin, and I liked the offbeat nature of the lyrics, the fact that it's this young boy and an older woman, and it was very sexy, but kind of sad at the same time.
[...]
But when you're a teenage girl, you're not really feeling any sympathy for Maggie May. What you're thinking about is how cute the boy is. But then when you're older, and just say that you're separated from your husband, and say you might be attracted to a younger guy, for a minute it all starts to come back and you start thinking, oh, well, am I going to end up being in that position? Where he looks at your face in the morning light and it really shows your age? And then he decides to go back to school? Is that a situation that you want to end up in? So that was the angle I wrote it from. It's more about how you want to be judged for who you are and not what you look like."
Interview in The Seattle Times, Friday, February 01, 2002

The lyrics to the Rod Stewart song:
Wake up Maggie
I think I've got something to say to you
It's late September
And I really should be back at school

I know I keep you amused
But I feel I'm being used
Oh, Maggie I couldn't have tried
Any more...

You led me away from home
Just to save you from being alone
You stole my heart
And that's what really hurts

The morning sun when it's in your face
Really shows your age
But that don't worry me none
In my eyes you're everything

I laugh at all of your jokes
My love you didn't need to coax
Oh, Maggie I couldn't have tried
Any more...