I’ve Got A Right To Sing The Blues
Billie Holiday Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I gotta right to sing the blues
I gotta right to moan inside
I gotta right to sit and cry
Down around the river
A certain man in this little town
Keeps draggin' my poor heart around
All I see for me is misery
I gotta right to sing the blues
I gotta right to moan inside
I gotta right to sit and cry
Down around the river

Soon that deep blue sea
Will be callin' me
It must be love say what you choose
I gotta right to sing the blues

I gotta right to sing the blues
I gotta right to moan and cry
I gotta right to sit and sigh
Down around the river

Soon that deep blue sea
Will be callin' me
It must be love say what you choose
I gotta right to sing the blues

There's nothing left for me




I'm full of misery
I gotta right to sing the blues

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "I've Got a Right to Sing the Blues" by Billie Holiday speak to the singer's emotional pain and the reasons why she has the right to express it through song. The lyrics express a sense of resignation and hopelessness, as the singer feels trapped in a cycle of heartbreak and sadness. In the first verse, she sings "All I see for me is misery," emphasizing the depth of her pain.


The chorus, with its repetition of "I gotta right to sing the blues," reinforces her sense of justification for expressing her feelings through music. The verses also touch on the idea of love, with the lines "It must be love say what you choose" and "Soon that deep blue sea will be callin' me." These lines suggest the singer's inability to resist the pull of love and the inevitability of her heart being broken once again.


Overall, the lyrics of "I've Got a Right to Sing the Blues" are a powerful statement on the power of music as a means of expressing pain and heartbreak. They also speak to the universality of these emotions, and the fact that no matter who we are or where we come from, we all experience them at some point in our lives.


Line by Line Meaning

I gotta right to sing the blues
I have the permission to express my sorrow through music


I gotta right to moan inside
I have the right to grieve and feel sorrow within myself


I gotta right to sit and cry
I have the right to be sad and show my emotions outwardly


Down around the river
The river serves as a place for me to reflect and find peace


A certain man in this little town
There is a particular man who is causing me heartache in this small community


Keeps draggin' my poor heart around
He continually hurts and mistreats me, making me feel as though my heart is being dragged through the dirt


All I see for me is misery
I am unable to find happiness and my future seems bleak


Soon that deep blue sea
In the near future, death will take me


Will be callin' me
The time is coming for me to pass on from this life


It must be love say what you choose
Despite the pain and suffering, I still believe that love is the reason for my heartache


I gotta right to moan and cry
I am allowed to feel the weight of my emotions through vocalization and tears


I gotta right to sit and sigh
I can sit and express my sorrow through soft breaths and melancholic silence


There's nothing left for me
There is nothing but misery and pain in my life


I'm full of misery
I am overwhelmed by my suffering and I cannot find a way out




Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., S.A. MUSIC
Written by: HAROLD ARLEN, TED KOEHLER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@alisonlovell9284

I gotta right to sing the blues
I gotta right to moan inside
I gotta right to sit and cry
Down around the river
A certain man in this little town
Keeps draggin' my poor heart around
All I see for me is misery
I gotta right to sing the blues
I gotta right to moan inside
I gotta right to sit and cry
Down around the river
Soon that deep blue sea
Will be callin' me
It must be love say what you choose
I gotta right to sing the blues
I gotta right to sing the blues
I gotta right to moan and cry
I gotta right to sit and sigh
Down around the river
Soon that deep blue sea
Will be callin' me
It must be love say what you choose
I gotta right to sing the blues
There's nothing left for me
I'm full of misery
I gotta right to sing the blues



All comments from YouTube:

@jimthompson606

Lady Day made every lyric writer seem like a genius.

@Okmusix

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@early60srcool

Indeed she did❤️

@ramonlivinglife258

❤ The best way to end a long, hot day of work. So soothing

@JockoBarbone

Raise your hand if The lady Day can strip you of your outer toughness and make you cry like a punk.

@robsgirl6465

JockoBarbone My hand is raised for sure

@nikitawhite2360

12-string Jack Queen Lady Day Billie Holiday could sing anything!

@alisonlovell9284

I gotta right to sing the blues
I gotta right to moan inside
I gotta right to sit and cry
Down around the river
A certain man in this little town
Keeps draggin' my poor heart around
All I see for me is misery
I gotta right to sing the blues
I gotta right to moan inside
I gotta right to sit and cry
Down around the river
Soon that deep blue sea
Will be callin' me
It must be love say what you choose
I gotta right to sing the blues
I gotta right to sing the blues
I gotta right to moan and cry
I gotta right to sit and sigh
Down around the river
Soon that deep blue sea
Will be callin' me
It must be love say what you choose
I gotta right to sing the blues
There's nothing left for me
I'm full of misery
I gotta right to sing the blues

@Okmusix

Hi,
thanks for adding a comment.
I ask you two minutes to go and see our online shop:
https://teespring.com/it/stores/ok-store-16
Here you can find quality products at an affordable price: every week we add new ones.
A little gift for you:
https://sellfy.com/euterpe/p/9dyslf/

@alexandergoth9847

I’m here from true blood

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