"Black Eye Blues"
Sunday, October 11, 2009 at 10:11 AM In Ma Rainey’s “Black Eye Blues,” you can obviously see the issue of spousal abuse. In this song, we are told the story of Miss Nancy Ann and her feuds with her husband. Even in the song’s title, “Black Eye Blues,” you can guess that there is going to be some sort of violence. Couples break up because of laziness, violence, or adultery. Either or all of these reasons lead to mistreatment. In this case Miss Nancy is the victim of violence and abuse. I can also sense some adultery in the line “Give it to another woman, come home and tell me lies.”
In the first half of the song Ma Rainey is narrating the story from an outside view. Then we go into the voice of Miss Nancy. In this second half, Ma Rainey really takes on the part an angry woman tired of the cheating and abuse. During the second half of the song as Miss Nancy, Ma Rainey’s voice is higher and angrier. I really heard a woman who wanted revenge and was going to get it. I was a little amused at the line “Gonna catch you with your britches down.” Here she implies that she’ll catch him when he least expects it- when his trousers are down. I also found it interesting that the melody of the song was so upbeat, considering that this song is about a serious issue. I also heard the guitar playing one of the verses, which we have heard from examples in class.
Reader Comments (3)
The song "Dream Blues" is also about an abusive relationship. You may wish to read the posts related to that song as well since they deal with similar issues.
http://benleedscarson.com/ma-rainey-and-bessie-smith/2009/10/10/dream-blues.html
Do you think Miss Nancy is a strong character or not? Or is it mixed? Is she a positive or negative example to other women?
It would also be good to try to determine the form of this song. Here's a few ideas to get you started if you're having trouble. Print out the lyrics and try to determine whether each line is similar or different from the line before. Keep in mind the A, A', B blues form we discussed in class, and see if that is applicable here.
I also noticed in "Black Eye Blues" that the note on certain lines and words were higher or lower, depending on the emotion Ma Rainey wanted to convey to her audience. I noticed especially that on the last "I mean it" it was very high, indicating that she really meant and wanted to have revenge on her lover or husband. I also found the "catch you with your britches down" was also quite amusing.
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