THE WEARY BLUES

BY LANGSTON
HUGHES
 - born on February 1, 1902, in
Joplin, Missouri
- an American poet, social
activist, novelist, playwright,
and columnist
- one of the most important
writers and thinkers of the
Harlem Renaissance
- died of lung cancer on May
22, 1967

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 The Weary Blues
Droning a drowsy syncopated
tune, Rocking back and forth to a
mellow croon, I heard a Negro
play.
Down on Lenox Avenue the other
night By the pale dull pallor of an
old gas light
He did a lazy sway. . . .
He did a lazy sway. . . .
To the tune o’ those Weary Blues.
3
With his ebony hands on each
ivory key He made that poor
piano moan with melody.
O Blues! Swaying to and fro on
his rickety stool
He played that sad raggy tune like
a musical fool.
Sweet Blues! Coming from a
black man’s soul.
O Blues! In a deep song voice with a
melancholy tone
I heard that Negro sing, that old piano
moan—
“Ain’t got nobody in all this world,
Ain’t got nobody but ma self.
I’s gwine to quit ma frownin’
And put ma troubles on the shelf.”
Thump, thump, thump,
went his foot on the floor.
4
He played a few chords then he sang
some more—
“
I got the Weary Blues And I can’t be
satisfied. Got the Weary Blues And
can’t be satisfied— I ain’t happy no
mo’ And I wish that I had died.”
And far into the night he crooned that
tune. The stars went out and so did the
moon.
The singer stopped playing and went
to bed While the Weary Blues echoed
through his head.
 “
Summary
The Weary Blues is about a black man listening
to another black man playing piano and singing
down the street. The man listening thinks of how
melancholy the tone is.The title of the poem “The
Weary Blues” and the context itself provides a
direct reference to “blues”, a form of music
developed by African Americans to promote the
notions of freedom, independence and individuality,
against slavery. 5
 “
Summary
The poet mentioned “O Blues!” two times
emphasizing on the thematic concerns of the poem —
the life of black people filled with sufferings and self-
created happiness. At first, the singer in the poem
sings about putting his problems aside to enjoy life but
his second song indicates that the worries lay so
heavily on his shoulders that even his beloved music
doesn’t seem enough anymore and he expresses his
wish to escape the reality and the world permanently.
6
 The poem represents the struggles of black
people, their sufferings and their love and
appreciation of the small blessings in life. It
also means to entertain themselves and escape
from the harsh reality of discrimination and
injustice.

7
 CULTURAL ISSUES
- In the early 1900s, particularly in the 1920s, African-
American literature, art, music, dance, and social
commentary began to flourish in Harlem, a section of New
York City. This African-American cultural movement became
known as "The New Negro Movement" and later as the
Harlem Renaissance.
- Black popular entertainers had performed for white
audiences
- In the early twentieth century, black forms of music such as
jazz and the blues became popular with white audiences
when nightclubs and dance halls came into existence.
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 SOCIAL ISSUES

-Black people faced fairly strict segregation

and had to exist apart from mainstream
culture, in prescribed areas of large urban
cities
- Blacks had to create a shadow world, with
their own businesses and institutions that
were allowed only limited interaction with
the surrounding white society. Black artists
and intellectuals were equally isolated.
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 POLITICAL ISSUES

- forced to live, work, eat and travel

separately from their white counterparts,
had few civil or legal rights, were often
victims of racial violence, and faced
economic marginalization in both the
North and the South

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11
A PICTURE IS
WORTH A
THOUSAND
WORDS

A complex idea can be

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Yellow 10 20 7

Blue 30 15 10

Orange 5 24 16

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LET’S REVIEW
SOME CONCEPTS
Yellow
Is the color of gold, butter and
ripe lemons. In the spectrum of
visible light, yellow is found
between green and orange.
Yellow
Is the color of gold, butter and
ripe lemons. In the spectrum of
visible light, yellow is found
between green and orange.
16
Blue
Is the colour of the clear sky
and the deep sea. It is located
between violet and green on the
optical spectrum.
Blue
Is the colour of the clear sky
and the deep sea. It is located
between violet and green on the
optical spectrum.
Red
Is the color of blood, and
because of this it has
historically been associated
with sacrifice, danger and
courage.
Red
Is the color of blood, and
because of this it has
historically been associated
with sacrifice, danger and
courage.
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