Frank Morgan (b. Minneapolis, Minnesota, December 23, 1933; d. Minneapolis,… Read Full Bio ↴Frank Morgan (b. Minneapolis, Minnesota, December 23, 1933; d. Minneapolis, December 14, 2007) was a jazz saxophonist with a career spanning over 50 years. He mainly plays alto saxophone but also plays soprano saxophone. During the 1950's he was known as a Charlie Parker protege and recorded several bebop albums. He, too, developed a heroin habit, and spent much of the next two decades incarcerated. He was absent from performing for an extended period, but unlike many suffering from that particular affliction, was able to create a second act in his playing career.
In 1985 he started recording again, releasing "Easy Living" in June 1985. He suffered a stroke in 1998, but recovered and recorded additional albums before his death from colon cancer.

Discography

* Night in the Life (2007)
* Reflections (2006)
* Raising the Standard (2005)
* City Nights (2004)
* Bop (1997)
* Love, Lost and Found (1995)
* Mood Indigo (1989)
* Listen to the Dawn (1994)
* You Must Believe In Spring (1992)
* A Lovesome Thing (1991)
* Yardbird Suite (1988)
* Lament (1987)
* Double Image (with George Cables) (1986)
* Easy Living (1985)
* Frank Morgan (1955)

Mood Indigo
Frank Morgan Lyrics

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You ain't never been blue; no, no, no,
You ain't never been blue,
Till you've had that mood indigo.
That feelin' goes stealin' down to my shoes
While I just sit here and sigh, "Go 'long blues".

I always get that mood indigo,
Since my baby said goodbye.

And in the evenin' when the lights are low,
I'm so lonely I could cry.
'Cause there's nobody who cares about me,
I'm just a poor fool that's bluer than blue can be.
When I get that mood indigo,
I could lay me down and die.

You ain't never been blue; no, no, no,
You ain't never been blue,
Till you've had that mood indigo.

That feelin' goes stealin' down to my shoes
While I just sit here and sigh, "Go 'long blues".

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Frank Morgan's song "Mood Indigo" convey a feeling of deep despair and loneliness. The opening lines express a sentiment of understanding what true sadness is, and how it is only experienced when one has felt the bleakness of the titular "mood indigo". The singer goes on to describe the sensation of this melancholy seeping through his body until it is felt in his very shoes. He laments his sorrow, telling the blues to leave him alone.

The second stanza brings about the root cause of his sadness, which is a lost love. The nights seem darker and lonelier, and he is left with only tears for company. He feels unloved, and his sadness is exacerbated by the absence of someone who cared for him. The final line of the second stanza is poignant, "I'm just a poor fool that's bluer than blue can be", the use of the word "fool" expressing how he feels after losing a love.

The final stanza delivers the ultimate expression of hopelessness, the singer has resigned himself to dying. The final line, "I could lay me down and die," signifies the bottom of the pit of despair. Morgan's interpretation of Duke Ellington's classic demonstrates the depth of emotion that music can express through lyrics.

Line by Line Meaning

You ain't never been blue; no, no, no,
You have not experienced true sadness

You ain't never been blue,
You have not felt sadness before

Till you've had that mood indigo.
Unless you have felt this particular sadness

That feelin' goes stealin' down to my shoes
The sadness is all-encompassing

While I just sit here and sigh, "Go 'long blues".
All I can do is try to push through the sadness

I always get that mood indigo,
I frequently experience this kind of sadness

Since my baby said goodbye.
Since the person I loved left me

And in the evenin' when the lights are low,
Especially at night, when it's quiet and dark

I'm so lonely I could cry.
I feel the depths of despair and loneliness

'Cause there's nobody who cares about me,
Because I have nobody in my life who loves or cares for me

I'm just a poor fool that's bluer than blue can be.
I am deeply and miserably sad