Behind Closed Doors: Analyzing Suzanne Vega’s “Luka”
The song “Luka” by Suzanne Vega portrays the unpleasant reality of the widely ignored child abuse issue. Nearly everyone knows that child abuse exists, but too often we push any thoughts on the issue to the back of our minds, especially if not directly exposed to it. Because of this, unfortunately, a child has to suffer. The song “Luka” forces the listener to stop for a moment and empathize with the subject of the song (Luka). In other words, Suzanne Vega challenges us to imagine if it were us or our own children in the same situation. It allows us to essentially see the situation through the eyes of Luka. Early in the video, a scene showed three boys running down the street (one of …show more content…
The lyrics read, “I think it’s because I’m clumsy/ I try not to talk to loud…” (metrolyrics.com). The verse includes a number of reasons that the child gives as an excuse as to why they may be getting abused. Again, I think Vega wants the listener to recognize this type of behavior in children so that they may get the help they need. Later in the same verse, the song says “They only hit until you cry” (metrolyrics.com). This is the only part of the song that directly mentions that someone suffers from physical abuse, but the rest of the song clearly suggests that some type of abusive behavior is present. In the song “Luka”, repetition of lyrics is evident. At the end of each verse, the last line repeats a few times before moving onto the next set of lyrics. Although many people look over this detail, I feel the repetition proves quite important. More specifically, the repetition of the words “Just don’t ask me what it was” seems incredibly symbolic (metrolyrics.com). It seems that the narrator (Luka), repeats the same thing in order to emphasize the fact that the situation remains Luka’s business only. As a whole, the song “Luka” by Suzanne Vega challenges anyone listening to ignore the pleas to mind one’s own business or to ignore the noise coming from upstairs and take action to stop the horrors of child
The song “Luka” by Suzanne Vega portrays the unpleasant reality of the widely ignored child abuse issue. Nearly everyone knows that child abuse exists, but too often we push any thoughts on the issue to the back of our minds, especially if not directly exposed to it. Because of this, unfortunately, a child has to suffer. The song “Luka” forces the listener to stop for a moment and empathize with the subject of the song (Luka). In other words, Suzanne Vega challenges us to imagine if it were us or our own children in the same situation. It allows us to essentially see the situation through the eyes of Luka. Early in the video, a scene showed three boys running down the street (one of …show more content…
The lyrics read, “I think it’s because I’m clumsy/ I try not to talk to loud…” (metrolyrics.com). The verse includes a number of reasons that the child gives as an excuse as to why they may be getting abused. Again, I think Vega wants the listener to recognize this type of behavior in children so that they may get the help they need. Later in the same verse, the song says “They only hit until you cry” (metrolyrics.com). This is the only part of the song that directly mentions that someone suffers from physical abuse, but the rest of the song clearly suggests that some type of abusive behavior is present. In the song “Luka”, repetition of lyrics is evident. At the end of each verse, the last line repeats a few times before moving onto the next set of lyrics. Although many people look over this detail, I feel the repetition proves quite important. More specifically, the repetition of the words “Just don’t ask me what it was” seems incredibly symbolic (metrolyrics.com). It seems that the narrator (Luka), repeats the same thing in order to emphasize the fact that the situation remains Luka’s business only. As a whole, the song “Luka” by Suzanne Vega challenges anyone listening to ignore the pleas to mind one’s own business or to ignore the noise coming from upstairs and take action to stop the horrors of child