Colour Of The Blues
Elvis Costello & The Attractions Lyrics


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Up above me are the skies
Like the twinkle in your eyes
Blue must be the color of the blues
In the mail, the letters came
But you can`t pay for love the same
Blue must be the color of the blues

The bluebird singin` in the trees
Seems to sympathize with me
`Cause he`s not singin` like he used to do
Pretty waters in the sea
Feel as cold as you left me
Blue must be the color of the blues

Blue days come and blue days go
The way I feel, nobody knows
Life is finally empty without you
There`s a blue note in each song




That I sing since you've been gone
Blue must be the color of the blues

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Elvis Costello & The Attractions's song Colour Of The Blues convey a sense of deep sadness and emotional pain. The opening lines, "Up above me are the skies, Like the twinkle in your eyes," suggest a kind of romantic longing and a sense of nostalgia for a love that has been lost. This is further emphasized by the refrain "Blue must be the color of the blues," which seems to suggest that the singer is overwhelmed by a sense of loneliness and longing.


The middle stanza of the song introduces a series of images and metaphors that reinforce this theme. The bluebird, which "seems to sympathize with me" and is "not singin' like he used to do," represents the loss of joy and happiness that the singer experienced with his loved one. The "pretty waters in the sea" that "feel as cold as you left me" is an expression of the pain and emptiness that he feels after their departure.


The final verse of the song recalls the opening refrain, but this time with a greater sense of finality and despair. The line "Life is finally empty without you" emphasizes the gravity of the singer's loss, while the reference to the "blue note in each song" suggests that this sorrow is a permanent, unshakeable part of his life.


Line by Line Meaning

Up above me are the skies
I am looking up at the sky


Like the twinkle in your eyes
It reminds me of the sparkle in your eyes


Blue must be the color of the blues
The sadness and loneliness feel blue


In the mail, the letters came
I received some letters in the mail


But you can`t pay for love the same
You cannot buy love with money


Blue must be the color of the blues
The sadness and loneliness feel blue


The bluebird singin` in the trees
The bluebird is singing in the trees


Seems to sympathize with me
It feels like the bluebird understands my pain


`Cause he`s not singin` like he used to do
But his song is not as joyful as it once was


Pretty waters in the sea
The sea has beautiful water


Feel as cold as you left me
But I feel as cold as I did when you left me


Blue must be the color of the blues
The sadness and loneliness feel blue


Blue days come and blue days go
Sometimes I feel very sad and lonely


The way I feel, nobody knows
And nobody can truly understand how I feel


Life is finally empty without you
My life feels empty without you


There`s a blue note in each song
Every song has a sad note


That I sing since you've been gone
And I have been singing sad songs since you left


Blue must be the color of the blues
The sadness and loneliness feel blue




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, CARLIN AMERICA INC, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: GEORGE JONES, LAWTON WILLIAMS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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