i left my home for the open road bid farewell to a beautiful girl she was out to push and prod my bravery i was out to conquer the world while i was circling the globe she d spin hers point somewhere and then she d say i fell in love with a drifter s son and now he s gone again held my ventures up like trophies high over my head susanna she s a patient woman she praised my happiness i d sing oh susanna don t you cry for me i m headed for those coastal waters an ocean for to see saw your face carved in the caves in the tunneling fields i wore my stubbornness like armor a reliable shield oh how could i have been so thoughtless and careless with my love when i met you you were drifting too just like the driftwood does she d be knee deep in the waters whispering to the sea susanna she s a graceful woman her words have convinced me  i d sing oh susanna why don t you come down here with me and play in the oldest parts of the jungle and climb a banyan tree explore from shore to shore there s always one more mountain to see susanna came to me in a dream and on the summit she said to me she said i am freedom i m all that you seek but you can t have this if you want all that and you certainly can t have me oh susanna i don t cry for you you re the best adventure i ve had yet but i m only passing through