Their best-known lineup included Terry Kirkman (vocals, woodwind instruments), Russ Giguere (vocals, guitar), Jim Yester (rhythm and lead guitar), Jules Alexander (lead and rhythm guitar), Brian Cole (bass) and Ted Bluechel Jr (drums) (and later Larry Ramos, who replaced Jules in early 1967).
Since 2014, founding members Jim Yester and Jules Alexander have been leading the current line-up of the Association, which includes Bruce Pictor, Paul Holland, Del Ramos, and Jordan Cole.
Don't Blame It On Me
The Association Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Blame the wind, say how lonely and cold it can be
You asked to be free
Don't blame it on me
Go blame the night for the darkness descending
Blame the wind, say it laughs at you now that you're free
That's how you want it to be
Now your life is empty
And only tears remain
Your high hopes turned to heartaches
Your freedom turned to chains
Go blame rain and the wind and the darkness
Blame the world for the way things have turned out to be
Blame whatever you please
But don't...
Don't blame it on me
Don't blame it on me
The Association's song Don't Blame It On Me is a song about a person who has broken up with their partner, and the partner is blaming everything but themselves for the breakup. The first verse says "Go blame the rain for your cloudburst of teardrops, Blame the wind, say how lonely and cold it can be." The person is blaming the weather for their sadness, instead of taking responsibility for their own emotions. The second verse goes on to say "Blame the wind, say it laughs at you now that you're free, That's how you want it to be." Again, the person is blaming outside forces for their unhappiness, instead of acknowledging that they are the ones who wanted to be free from the relationship.
The chorus says "Now your life is empty, And only tears remain, Your high hopes turned to heartaches, Your freedom turned to chains." This highlights the fact that the person who wanted to be free is now unhappy and alone. The last verse says "Blame the world for the way things have turned out to be, Blame whatever you please, But don't... Don't blame it on me." The singer is telling the ex-partner that they cannot blame them for the breakup, as it was their own choice to end the relationship and they need to take responsibility for their own emotions and actions.
Overall, the song is a warning to people who break up with their partners and then blame everyone and everything else for their unhappiness. It's a call to take responsibility for one's own emotions and actions, and to not use external factors as a way to avoid dealing with the real issues.
Line by Line Meaning
Go blame the rain for your cloudburst of teardrops
You're looking for a scapegoat for your sadness and tears, so you choose to put the blame on the rain.
Blame the wind, say how lonely and cold it can be
You want to attribute your feelings of loneliness and coldness to something external, so you choose to blame the wind.
You asked to be free
You yearned for freedom, and now that you've got it, you're not happy with the outcome.
Don't blame it on me
Despite your desire to place blame on someone else, you can't blame me for your problems.
Go blame the night for the darkness descending
You want to attribute your feelings of darkness and despair to something outside of yourself, so you choose to blame the night.
Blame the wind, say it laughs at you now that you're free
To explain why you're feeling down, you put the blame on the wind, saying it's mocking you for wanting freedom.
That's how you want it to be
Even though your current situation is causing you pain, it's what you wanted when you asked for your freedom.
Now your life is empty
Despite your desire for freedom, your life is now devoid of meaning and joy.
And only tears remain
As a result, all that's left for you to do is cry.
Your high hopes turned to heartaches
Your expectations for your new life were lofty, but they've resulted in nothing but pain and disappointment.
Your freedom turned to chains
Even though you thought freedom would make you happy, it's actually made you feel trapped and stuck.
Blame the world for the way things have turned out to be
You've decided that the world is to blame for your unhappiness, rather than taking responsibility for your own choices and actions.
Blame whatever you please
At this point, you're so desperate to pin the blame on something or somebody that you'll blame anything that comes to mind.
But don't...
Despite all of this, there's one thing you shouldn't do:
Don't blame it on me
Place blame wherever you want, but don't blame me for your problems.
Contributed by Max O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.