Violence, abuse in particular, is one of the central themes in the work of Suzanne Vega.
In my opinion there is a development in the songs of this theme. For the discussion I have chosen the songs Not Me, Luka, In the Eye and Rock in this Pocket. Not Me is the oldest of the songs;, it was written in June 1981 and has not been published as a song yet. In this poem the course of a conversation or rather argument between two people is told from the point of view of a character who describes herself as being "a little girl", "not ready" and "too young for this". At first, the reader is left uncertain what is meant by "for this". Each statement of the girl is contrasted with a statement of the man with whom she is fighting and who contradicts her. But in the third stanza the point of view changes. The first person narrator suddenly turns into a witness of the situation. The personal pronoun "I" changes into a "she". The narrator now describes what happened as though she was not involved. Now this third stanza reveals what was meant by "for this": "He took somebody by the hair and dragged her down the hall". Suddenly the talking has turned into action, but only the man acts, the little girl/narrator stays passive, becomes the object of the sentences. Throughout the whole song, the narrator is caught in the role of the victim. All she does is to say things, she does not really act. The only form of resistance is her denial of what has happened: "But I don't know who it was because/ I know it was/ not me." This last line is repeated eight times as though the narrator has to assure herself over and over again that it did not happen to her, that it was not her who was abused. It is not possible for the narrator to catch the attention of her environment for her situation. "They could not hear the call". There is no help from the people around her, probably also because the narrator tries to deny and hide what has happened.
The last stanza of the song seems to describe a conversation with another man, now in the present. He complains about the behavior of the narrator. The girl seems not to be able to communicate, to build up a relationship because of what has happened to her. She keeps silence, is closed and introverted and seeks solitude rather than company. In the end the only way she knows to avoid a confrontation is her flight into denial. "I don't know who you're talking to/ I know that it's not me".
In Not Me the protagonist is a victim of abuse, passive and unable to defend herself except by words and by denying what happens to her. The abuse shapes her whole behavior, she now has difficulties to establish relationships and falls back into her habit of denial when she is confronted with "human situation[s]". There is no sign of hope, and the poem conveys a feeling of sadness and helplessness. It ends with the repetition of the line "not me".

Luka was written three years later in 1984. It was surprisingly successful and probably is Vega's most famous song  to date. It won several songwriter awards and was widely covered. Although it did not reach the number one spot in all countries it became a "classic" all over the world. And this is all the more surprising since the song deals with a case of child abuse. The point of view is  from the victim again, a nine year old boy named Luka. The song starts with his introduction. "My name is Luka/ I live on the second floor". The following lines convey the feeling that Luka is talking to the listener, they get the reader involved. "I live upstairs from you/ Yes I think you've seen me before". Throughout the whole song one has the impression that Luka is actually talking to the reader, who takes the part of his neighbor. The narrator continues by mentioning "Some kind of trouble, some kind of fight" and it is not very clear for the reader about what he is talking. This is similar to the lines "I think it's cause I'm clumsy" and "I think it's cause I'm crazy". The reader does not know what "it" is. It is not until the fourth stanza that the reader gets a clue. The line "They only hit until you cry" reveals what the boy is talking about, namely that he is abused.
In Luka, the protagonist does not try to deny what happens, but he seeks the fault in himself: "I think it's cause I'm clumsy" etc. He takes the blame for being beaten, and the line "They only hit until you cry" conveys a very odd and bitter feeling, since it seems to be almost a defense or justification of what is done to him. It sounds like: Well, at least they stop when you start crying.
The relation between listener and the narrator is split. On the one hand, the boy wants to tell his story, on the other hand, he stresses several times not to ask him about his situation and he tells us that it is not our business anyway. He seems to feel the urge to confess what happens to him; on the other hand he seems to feel responsible for it. In the anonymity of the city he does not know to whom he can talk to about his problems, and in the end he says that he would just like to be alone. In the first stanza the concept of "seeing" is mentioned and it seems to correspond to that of "seeing" in Tom's Diner: The boy says: "Yes I think you've seen me before" and it is obvious that "to see" does not mean to notice or to talk to. It is like that "see" in Tom's Diner. The people "do not really see", they are mostly preoccupied with themselves.
Luka shows a clear development from Not Me. The protagonist is still the victim, but he now tries to communicate, to be noticed. He does not deny what happens to him, but he blames himself. The song leaves the listener very uncertain about Luka's fate. In a way one feels responsible since the boy addresses himself to the listener; on the other hand, the boy himself says that he wants to be left alone and not be questioned. There does not seem to be much hope or help for him in an urban environment, in which people pass each other, seeing but not really seeing.

In the Eye was written in 1986 and is also featured on the album Solitude Standing. In In the Eye, the idea of "seeing" is developed even further. The narrator describes what her weapon would be if someone were to kill her. "I would still look you in the eye". She would try to make her murderer really see her, to notice her, to realize that she is a human being, that she has dignity and a personality. "In the eye" is a contrast to the "seeing" concept of Tom's Diner. To look directly into one's eyes means to make a real contact, to be aware of the other person's feelings. It is different from the brief Tom's Diner-look where you try to avoid people's eyes. And to look into one's eyes is probably surprising in a city where people just pass by each other. The narrator uses the direct look as a weapon. To make your opponent aware of the fact that you are a human being, that you have dignity and personality is used as a shield against the senseless crime and aggression of the city, in which victim and perpetrator are mostly strangers to each other.
In contrast to Luka and Not Me, the victim of In the Eye shows resistance, tries to defend herself, though only passively.

In Rock in this Pocket, the narrator eventually is not the victim any more. This song is the first on the album 99.9F° from 1992 and it starts with the lines "Excuse me/ If I may/ Turn your attention/ My way". Like Luka, the narrator tries to catch the attention of her opponent but she is more self-assured. In a polite but very determined way she demands attention and forces the reader to consider the things from her point of view. "What's so small to you/ Is so large to me". And again, as in Luka and In the Eye, the image of "seeing" appears. "If it's the last thing I do/ I'll make you see". The narrator knows that she has a certain power, she is aware of her rights and her dignity. She even threatens her opponent and demands her right to be really seen, to be noticed. She is not passive any longer but fights back, is aggressive and asks for attention. The song ends with the haunting triple repetition of "I'll make you see" and with a distinctive drum beat that reflects the strength and willpower of the character.
I think one can trace a development in the characters from song to song. In Not Me, the protagonist is weak, silent, does not know how to cope with the situation except for denial. Luka is still predominately a victim who blames himself. But he tries to get heard, although in a very low and insecure voice. The narrator in In the Eye forces her opponent to look at her, to really see her. She resists, if only passively. And in Rock in this Pocket, the protagonist is hardly a victim at all. She fights for her standpoint and "makes" people see her.
To fight against the violent city, the anonymous city, the emotionless city, Vega's character come up with their personality. They demand to be seen in the mass of people, to be treated humanly and with dignity.