The object of desire is her daughter, Ruby.
It is a love song, and maybe I shouldn’t tell you who the object is there – but it was actually written for my daughter. The idea of the world before Columbus came because I have a cat at home, and this cat scratched my eye – just playing, and it became i...
[Verse 1]
If your love were taken from me
Every color would be black and white
It would be as flat as the world before Columbus
That's the day that I lose half my sight
[Verse 2]
If your life were taken from me
All the trees would freeze in this cold ground
It would be as cruel as the world before Columbus
Sail to the edge and I'd be there looking down
[Chorus]
Those men who lust for land and for riches strange and new
Who love those trinkets of desire, oh, they never will have you
And they'll never know the gold or the copper in your hair
How could they weigh the worth of you so rare?
[Verse 3]
If your love were taken from me
Every light that's bright would soon go dim
It would be as dark as the world before Columbus
Down the waterfall and I'd swim over the brim
[Chorus]
Those men who lust for land and for riches strange and new
Who love those trinkets of desire, oh, they will never have you
And they'll never know the gold or the copper in your hair
How could they weigh the worth of you so rare?
World Before Columbus was written by Suzanne Vega.
World Before Columbus was produced by Mitchell Froom.