The duo had a successful musical career throughout the '30s and '40s and into the '50s. The Delmore Brothers toured and recorded until Rabon's death in 1952. After his brother's death Alton recorded some solo material, but achieved little commercial success. Alton died in 1964.
Blues Stay Away from Me
The Delmore Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Blues, why don't you let me be?
I don't know why you keep on haunting me
Love was never meant for me
True love was never meant for me
It seems somehow, we never can agree
Life is full of misery
Dreams are like a memory
Bringing back your love that used to be
Tears so many I can't see
Years don't mean a thing to me
Time goes by and still, I can't be free
"Blues Stay Away From Me" by The Delmore Brothers is a song about the pain caused by the presence of the blues. The singer pleads with the blues to stay away from them, as they have already caused enough damage. The first two lines indicate the desperation of the singer to be free from the blues. The repetition of "Blues, stay away from me" reveals the feelings of the singer. The fact that the blues is portrayed as something that is consuming the singer's life tells us that it is a metaphor for negative experiences that are dominant in their life.
The second stanza mentions that love was never meant for the singer. The singer is struggling with the idea of being in love and the fact that the love that they had was never meant for them. The next line reveals the hopelessness of the situation, as they feel that they will never be able to agree on anything. The third stanza begins with the reflection of life and how it is full of misery. The idea of dreams symbolizes the past and brings back memories of the love that used to be.
The fourth stanza speaks about the tears that have blinded the singer's eyes. The pain caused due to the blues has made it difficult for them to see things clearly. The last line in this stanza says that time is not healing their wounds and they continue to suffer. The final stanza is a reflection of how the years have passed, but the pain caused by the blues is still very much present, and they cannot be free.
Line by Line Meaning
Blues, stay away from me
I don't want to be surrounded by sadness and pain, so I'm asking the blues to avoid me
Blues, why don't you let me be?
I'm tired of feeling down and depressed, so I'm questioning why the blues won't leave me alone
I don't know why you keep on haunting me
I can't understand why my past struggles and sadness won't let me move on and enjoy life
Love was never meant for me
I believe that I'm not deserving of love because of the pain and disappointment it has brought me in the past
True love was never meant for me
I don't think I'll ever experience genuine and unconditional love because it simply wasn't in my destiny
It seems somehow, we never can agree
Despite my efforts to make things work, it feels like love and I are never on the same page
Life is full of misery
The ups and downs of life have brought more pain than happiness, and I'm reminded of this constantly
Dreams are like a memory
The hopes and aspirations I used to have are now just distant memories that I can only look back on
Bringing back your love that used to be
The memories of the love I once had only make me feel more lonely and nostalgic for the past
Tears so many I can't see
I've cried so many tears that it's hard to see things clearly or without feeling overwhelmed
Years don't mean a thing to me
The passage of time hasn't made the pain of the past any easier to bear or diminished my sense of hopelessness
Time goes by and still, I can't be free
Despite the passing of time, I still feel trapped by my past and the emotions it brings up
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Alton Delmore, Henry B. Glover, Rabon Delmore, Wayne Raney
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Petraglyph777
Blues stay away from me
Blues why don't you let me be
Don't know why you keep on haunting me
Love was never meant for me
True love was never meant for me
Seems somehow we never can agree
Life is full of misery
Dreams are like a memory
Bringing back your love that used to be
Tears, so many I can't see
Years don't mean a thing to me
Time goes by and still I can't be free
@Petraglyph777
Blues stay away from me
Blues why don't you let me be
Don't know why you keep on haunting me
Love was never meant for me
True love was never meant for me
Seems somehow we never can agree
Life is full of misery
Dreams are like a memory
Bringing back your love that used to be
Tears, so many I can't see
Years don't mean a thing to me
Time goes by and still I can't be free
@pearlharbor4790
WOW! BEAUTIFUL.. I CAN FEEL THE LONGING. IT MAKES ME WANT TO CRY. THANK YOU.
@Arcturus218
Man I wish Hank Sr. would have covered on this song. His voice just haunts every song he's ever written or covered.
@tomatin6437
Brilliant idea, the voice of Hank sen. would skyrock the song!
@pearlharbor4790
I love this perfect song but Hank surely has so much longing in his voice..
@billcrotts5456
Yeah he would've crushed it
@pearlharbor4790
There is a man named Hans Thessink who does a beautiful ambling version of this song. I love it too.
@1949waldo
I graduated from High School in 1949, this song always brings back that summer, I loved it then and i still do. When I hear this, Lovesick Blues, or the music from South Pacific, I am 18 again. The teenagers i knew did not scoff at this music, we were country kids. rock and roll really wasn't big yet, we liked swing (Big Band) boogie and blues, Pop and Country.
@fredjohn605
Hello 👋,how are you doing?
@bellgardens53
I'm a rocker but buying an album by the Delmore brothers was one of the best things I've done. Alton and Rabon, 2 farm boys from Alabama. Rabon on 4 string tenor gtr and Alton on 6 string Spanish gtr and sang lead, sometimes they switched parts. Thanks for this posting.