It's awfully considerate of you to think of me here
And I'm most obliged to you for making it clear
That I'm not here.
And I never knew the moon could be so big
And I never knew the moon could be so blue
And I'm grateful that you threw away my old shoes
And brought me here instead dressed in red
And I'm wondering who could be writing this song.

I don't care if the sun don't shine
And I don't care if nothing is mine
And I don't care if I'm nervous with you
I'll do my loving in the winter.

And the sea isn't green
And I love the queen
And what exactly is a dream
And what exactly is a joke.

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Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae, edited by karpouzi

Jugband Blues song meanings

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The lyric "I never knew the moon could be so blue" parallels the later line that "the sea isn't green." There's also a lot of symbolism to be found in the image of the moon. Both the moon and the sea are associated with madness, as well as mystery, the feminine and other-worldliness. It is also a clever play on the idea of a blue moon, and there are actually parallels in the lyrics with the lyrics of the old popular standard Blue Moon. A blue moon is a rare kind of extra full moon, hence "once in a blue moon" but to be blue is to be sad, like having the blues. In the old standard, the moon is blue when the singer was "without a dream in my heart/ without a love of my own."

Also, what you are saying of madness and mockery reminds me of Hamlet. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the play, the character Hamlet pretends to be mad. By pretending to be mad and using other's perception of him as mad, he is able to say things he could not say otherwise, often mocking the other characters in cutting, often profound ways, straight to their faces, and he is able to act in ways that would be unnacceptable because people dismiss his words and actions as meaningless. Some people debate though whether Hamlet might actually indeed be mad in the play. I'm actually reading the play for the first time now and haven't finished yet, but if this stuff is interesting to you, then I'd recommend it. I can't help but recognize many parallels between Barrett and Hamlet. They both even reference clowns a lot! In particular, there's a very famous scene in Hamlet involving a clown, and Hamlet's feelings about him.

Also, if I can make a kind of bold assertion, both Hamlet and Barrett turn away from women and the possibility of love. Psychoanalytic critiques of Hamlet often emphasize that Hamlet, after he is "mad," rejects the love of Ophelia while turning all his attention to his mother. Not romantically of course, at least not overtly, but this fits the Freudian model. Syd too turned away from the world and relationships, besides his family. Eventually he moved back in with his mother. Both Hamlet and Syd also have bitter and biting criticisms to make about those around them and the world at large though. Both are very smart and sensitive souls. The stories of both are tragic too. I'm going to rewrite this for a general comment here too.

The lyric "I never knew the moon could be so blue" parallels the later line that "the sea isn't green." There's also a lot of symbolism to be found in the image of the moon. Both the moon and the sea are associated with madness, as well as mystery, the feminine and other-worldliness. It is also a clever play on the idea of a blue moon, and there are actually parallels in the lyrics with the lyrics of the old popular standard Blue Moon. A blue moon is a rare kind of extra full moon, hence "once in a blue moon" but to be blue is to be sad, like having the blues. In the old standard, the moon is blue when the singer was "without a dream in my heart/ without a love of my own." Also, what you are saying of madness and mockery reminds me of Hamlet. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the play, the character Hamlet pretends to be mad. By pretending to be mad and using other's perception of him as mad, he is able to say things he could not say otherwise, often mocking the other characters in cutting, often profound ways, straight to their faces, and he is able to act in ways that would be unnacceptable because people dismiss his words and actions as meaningless. Some people debate though whether Hamlet might actually indeed be mad in the play. I'm actually reading the play for the first time now and haven't finished yet, but if this stuff is interesting to you, then I'd recommend it. I can't help but recognize many parallels between Barrett and Hamlet. They both even reference clowns a lot! In particular, there's a very famous scene in Hamlet involving a clown, and Hamlet's feelings about him. Also, if I can make a kind of bold assertion, both Hamlet and Barrett turn away from women and the possibility of love. Psychoanalytic critiques of Hamlet often emphasize that Hamlet, after he is "mad," rejects the love of Ophelia while turning all his attention to his mother. Not romantically of course, at least not overtly, but this fits the Freudian model. Syd too turned away from the world and relationships, besides his family. Eventually he moved back in with his mother. Both Hamlet and Syd also have bitter and biting criticisms to make about those around them and the world at large though. Both are very smart and sensitive souls. The stories of both are tragic too. I'm going to rewrite this for a general comment here too.

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iThinkMaybeon September 04, 2018 Link
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