"Dream Blues"
Saturday, October 10, 2009 at 9:24 PM In “Dream Blues” by “Ma” Rainey what I analyzed and got from this song is that she is talking about how she is in an abusive relationship. Which she has been since she was smaller, starting with her father. So she was beaten both by her father and her husband. And this hurts her so much because she does not want to live through this anymore, she doesn’t want to feel the pain anymore. This does tie back to the reading “Mama’s got the Blues” by Angela Davis, because in this reading it states one of the reason for blues lyrics like “Dream Blues” was because of the mistreatment towards women.
“…While women are clearly perceived as antagonist-as potential intruders into others relationships-they are also viewed as possessing common fears and common interests…This aesthetic community of women emerges in its most developed form when blues women share stories about abusive partners and advise their sisters how to conduct themselves in relation to such men” (pg 54).
From listening to this song I can see that it is in A B A B format. It stays constant throughout the whole thing even in the part where she is speaking for her husband and in the last stanza when she speaks in third person. It stays constant. The only part that confused me is in the second to last stanza because before that she is speaking as if she is her husband and I am not sure if she is still speaking for her husband or it is her speaking. In the last stanza she is expressing how she feels and that she doesn’t want to feel like that anymore and would not mind dying.
Reader Comments (7)
Good start in tying the song into the reading. To expand on your thoughts, consider the implication of the title in relation to the song. How much of the song is real or is it a dream? How does the reality or non-reality of the events mentioned change the meaning of the song or how a person might react to the song?
In your discussion of form, please indicate where each section begins by noting the corresponding lyric.
I think that you did a really good job in decoding the storyline of the song while relating it to other texts. I got a similar reading of the song and noticed the mistreatment by men as a reoccurring theme throughout most female sung blues music. I think that the relationship that she refers to with her both of her parents is an important aspect to black culture at that time and really telling to how women were not valued.
I am not sure why she explains her situation in terms of a dream because it seems so real that she has been heartbroken by those that she loves in the way that she sings. If any aspect of the song was made up she would very strange and insecure.
I can see what you both are saying about the song. Yes the name of it is "Dream Blues" and in my opinion i want to say that this is something real. Like she is dreaming of it because it has happened to her that is why it seems so familiar and real. In my reaction towards the song i was a little amazed by the fact that she mentions her father and what he did to her. Also the fact that she showed the man as being mean, but also vulnerable when he begs for her to take him back.
After reading your post I went back to listen to the song again and listen to the lyrics. Then I read the lyrics without the music turned on, and it's so incredible how much more sad and horrible the lyrics are with the consistency of the music covering it up.
Although the title is "dream blues" it's funny because to me it is as if she is singing about the reality of her life. Only she's describing it as if it is a reoccurring nightmare that she cannot escape. To the point where at the end of the song in the last stanza (where I do believe she is referring to herself even though it is in third person) she says I'm aching so much that I don't even mind dying. The helplessness of the song really does come off in certain places, like were she says "what do I do when everyone is gonna mistreat you?" As if she has no hope because that is simply the way her life is. I feel like that really shows off the place women felt they had at that time and ties into Angela Davis's article just like you had previously stated.
It is extremely sad, because it comes off like she is trying to cover up the true cruel reality of her life by trying to call it a dream.
Many of you that wrote about “Dream Blues” and “Black Eye Blues” mentioned the portrayal of women in abusive relationships. Do you think the women in these songs are strong or weak? What part of the music makes you feel that way? (the lyrics, the singer’s expression, the instruments, etc.) Are these songs meant as a warning to the listener or are they meant for commiseration between women in the same situation? or both? Here are three posts that address some of these questions well. Please comment on one of the posts to add your thoughts to the discussion.
http://benleedscarson.com/ma-rainey-and-bessie-smith/2009/10/10/dream-blues.html
http://benleedscarson.com/ma-rainey-and-bessie-smith/ma-rainey-dream-blues.html
http://benleedscarson.com/ma-rainey-and-bessie-smith/what-it-means-to-have-the-black-eye-blues.html
I think you did a really good job analyzing the song and i agree with you on many of your points especially when tying it back to the reading. The blues of this time had a great deal to do with woman of the time and how they were seen/treated in society. i saw the ABAB format as well including the constant flow of the song and how the melody stays the same throughout the entire thing.
In response to Beth i feel that the woman in this song is strong in the sense that even though she is singing about something tragic in her life making herself vulnerable its an issue that can bring her to connect with other woman who are dealing with the same issue of abuse and let them know that its okay to make a big deal out of their situation. The singers expression as well as the lyrics are the main components in doing so. I feel that this song is a warning to other women dealing with abuse in attempt to let them know that if they undermine this situation any longer they could possibly lose their lives over it.
The woman in "Dream Blues" is strong because she is explaining her abusive relationship and she wants to get out of it. The way Ma Rainey sings and the emphasis she puts on certain words is a cry for help. She has been abused for too long and she has had enough. Even in the last lyrics "My heart is achin’, Mama feel like cryin’, Lord, my heart is achin’, Mama feels like cryin’, Yes, I had a bad dream last night, Mama don’t mind dyin’" you can see she is desperate to stop the abusive relationship. The singer is not warning other women, but becoming public about abusive relationships and assuring women that it is ok for them to speak out and leave their men.