The blues granted black women the chance to defend themselves not only among a prevailing white culture, but also among males in their respective communities (65). Gertrude “Ma” Rainey’s “Black Eye Blues” is one of the many blues songs of this time that thoroughly demonstrated an important point made in Angela Davis’ article stating that “blues was an aesthetic evidence of freedom” (45). In the song, Rainey tells a story about a woman named Nancy Ann that has been repeatedly abused physically and emotionally by her man. However, despite this dilemma, she manages to rise above and refuse defeat declaring to her man, “gonna catch you with your britches down.” Nancy Ann’s outspoken character exemplified the autonomous nature arising in women at this time, as well as the need to share life experiences in order to show other women how to carry out their lives (53).

The song models the standard ABAB format, followed by a chorus. What was interesting to find was that although the song apparently addresses the sensitive issues of relationships through its lyrics, the upbeat nature of its melody does not necessarily fit. While one would assume the song to have a more somber melody because of the immoral actions expressed in the lyrics, this fact is somewhat masked behind the cheerful melody accompanying it.