That's What The Blues Is All About
Albert King Lyrics


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Oh you come home one eve'nin'
To nothin' but the four walls
And then ya find your phone been disconnected
You can't even make no call
Ya hung out for your baby, oh, an'she's not there
You look in the closet, buddy, an'you find it's all bare

Oh, that's what the blues is people
That's what the blues is all about
Well that's a hard pill to have to swallow, um!
When you find what the blues is all about

Now listen to this:

I went out to my backyard
Ya know I whistled for my dog [3 whistle sounds]
He ran up under the house, people
Like he didn't even know me at all
Now I hadn't fed him in two or three days
An' he was lookin' kinda thin
Oh, when your dog turn his back on ya, buddy
You know ya haven't even got a friend

That's the blues, people
That's what the blues is all about
Oh it's a hard pill to swallow, um!
When ya find out what the blues is all about

Oh, look out!
Uh!
Oh no!
I think I got 'em!

I went out to my mail box
I got a bunch-a bills that I can't pay
I guess my wife been out shoppin' again
While I been at work all day

I see the man comin' with his tools
Now is he gonna cut off my water?
You know they got my gas yesterday
An' they comin' right back for the lines tomorrow

Ah, that's what the blues is people
That's what the blues is all about




Well that's a hard pill to swallow, buddy
Oh, when you find out what the blues is all about

Overall Meaning

Albert King's "That's What The Blues Is All About" is a song that depicts the struggles of life that lead to the blues. In the song, King talks about coming home to an empty house, finding out that his phone has been disconnected, and realizing that his baby is gone. The emptiness in his house represents the void in his life, and the disconnection of his phone means that he is unable to connect with his loved ones. In addition, the bare closet is symbolic of his impoverished state, and the lack of love in his life is a major aspect of the blues.


King goes on to talk about his dog, who has been neglected for days and appears to have forgotten about him. The dog, which despite being loyal, has now turned its back on him, representing a sense of betrayal. This portrays the loneliness of blues, and how even the most faithful allies let us down.


King ends the song talking about his bills that he cannot pay, and the imminent disconnection of his utilities, which leads to paranoia and anxiety. This heightened sense of fear represents the overarching theme of the song, which is the inevitability of the blues.


Overall, the song is a commentary on the hardships of life that lead to the blues, such as broken relationships, loneliness, poverty, and uncertainty.



Line by Line Meaning

Oh you come home one eve'nin'
You return home one evening


To nothin' but the four walls
Your home is empty, just four walls


And then ya find your phone been disconnected
Your phone has been disconnected, so you can't make a call


You can't even make no call
You can't make any phone calls


Ya hung out for your baby, oh, an'she's not there
You wait for your loved one but they are not present


You look in the closet, buddy, an'you find it's all bare
You search the closet and find it empty


I went out to my backyard
You go to your backyard


Ya know I whistled for my dog [3 whistle sounds]
You whistle for your dog three times


He ran up under the house, people
Your dog runs under the house


Like he didn't even know me at all
Your dog seems to not recognize you


Now I hadn't fed him in two or three days
You haven't fed your dog in two or three days


An' he was lookin' kinda thin
Your dog looks skinny


Oh, when your dog turn his back on ya, buddy
When your dog turns its back on you, you know you've lost a friend


I went out to my mail box
You go to your mailbox


I got a bunch-a bills that I can't pay
You have received a lot of bills that you cannot afford to pay


I guess my wife been out shoppin' again
Your spouse has been shopping, adding to your expenses


While I been at work all day
While you have been at work all day


I see the man comin' with his tools
You see the utility worker coming with tools


Now is he gonna cut off my water?
You wonder if the utility worker will cut off your water


You know they got my gas yesterday
Your gas supply was cut off yesterday


An' they comin' right back for the lines tomorrow
The utility company is returning tomorrow for additional cuts


Ah, that's what the blues is people
This situation is the essence of the blues


Well that's a hard pill to swallow, buddy
This is a difficult reality to accept


Oh, when you find out what the blues is all about
This is what it truly means to experience the blues




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BOBBY C. PATTERSON, JERRY STRICKLAND

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Roosevelt Davis

yes,yes yes. the great Albert king. I got this 8-track tape in my collection.

Curtis Loesch

Hadn't heard this in several years. Damn! good.

Dennis Devine

When your dog turns his back on you, you don't even have a friend. That's what the blues is all about.

Kalai Reed

What about when your cat turn his back on you

Rhys Thomas John

Kalai Reed That’s pretty normal behaviour

Thomas Frank

@Kalai Reed that's what 'em cats is all about.....

Ty Page

too smooth

Kalai Reed

Well my cat run away from me after I went 3 days without feed him.I definitely got the blues

Blues Rain

That's What The Blues Is All About......

RockForever

too cool

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