The Blues

December 21the blues

I am thankful for the blues. Like many unpleasant things, sometimes it takes hard times to make us appreciate the good times and to strive for a better place. One of my favorite clips from one of my favorite movies Adventures in Babysitting is "to sing the blues you've got to live the blues." How true. Sometimes it takes hard times for the creative juices to flow in people. Broken hearted love songs. Tear-jerk movies. Teenage car crash songs. Unrequited love. They all have the blues in common.

I saw this matrix light blue pansy with water droplets recently at a nursery. The blue color and the water droplets, representing tears to me, caught my eye. I thought it would be good for the blues theme. Below is a street musician named Leroy who my son and his band invited to open for them at the Spanish Moon a few years ago. Leroy was simply amazing. 

December 21bthe blues,leroy,spanish moon

the blues

i was walking down the street

when a stranger i happened to meet

he had dirty blond hair

a pencil was stuck in there

he had a guitar case in his hand

he said he would sing me the blues

as he spoke through thickened fumes of booze

he pulled out a toy guitar

and a little tip jar

and proceeded to play

he sang

“i got da blues

so bad today

‘cause ever time

i begin to play

people laugh

and dey walk away

da da dada

dada da da

da da dada

dada da da”

i began to laugh and walk away

i began to sneer at his play

but then i listened and i knew

all that he had been through

no toy guitar

no tiny tip jar

could cover his blues

and that was the real news

so i put a twenty in his jar

as i proceeded toward my car

the blues bite down to the soul

the blues dig you into a big hole

that’s hard to climb out

that’s hard to look up

to sing the blues

you’ve got to live the blues

and i knew

da da dada

dada da da

da da dada

dada da da.

© rt tulley