Mood Indigo
The Jungle Band 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 Jungle Band's song "Mood Indigo" is a beautiful composition of a person's experience of sadness and despair after a breakup. The lyrics talk about how the singer has never experienced true sadness until they have had a taste of "mood indigo." The color indigo is associated with sadness and melancholy, and the singer explains how this color has seeped into every inch of their being. The feeling of sadness has reached their shoes, and all they can do is sit and sigh, wishing the blues to go away.


The second stanza is even more poignant, as the singer talks about how they always have that "mood indigo" since their baby left them. The loneliness and sadness are so unbearable that they could cry, but there's nobody who cares about the singer. They feel like a poor fool, bluer than blue can be. These lyrics perfectly capture the feeling of being heartbroken and alone, and the pain that one goes through during such times.


Overall, "Mood Indigo" is a powerful song that encapsulates the emotions of a heartbroken person. The lyrics are deeply personal and speak to anyone who has ever felt the all-consuming pain of heartbreak.


Line by Line Meaning

You ain't never been blue; no, no, no,
You’ve never truly felt sadness until you’ve experienced this intense feeling known as mood indigo.


You ain't never been blue,
The singer is emphasizing the strength of the feeling by repeating that you’ve never felt it before.


Till you've had that mood indigo.
The term mood indigo is a metaphor for the feeling of deep sadness and emotional pain.


That feelin' goes stealin' down to my shoes
The feeling is so strong that it permeates the artist's entire body, down to their shoes.


While I just sit here and sigh, "Go 'long blues".
The artist feels helpless in the face of this emotion, simply sitting and letting it take over while telling the blues to leave them be.


I always get that mood indigo,
The singer feels this way frequently - it's not a one-time occurrence.


Since my baby said goodbye.
The trigger for this intense sadness was the departure of someone the singer was deeply connected to, likely a romantic partner.


And in the evenin' when the lights are low,
The artist is particularly susceptible to these feelings in the evening when everything is quieter and darker.


I'm so lonely I could cry.
The sadness the artist feels is directly tied to loneliness and a feeling of isolation.


'Cause there's nobody who cares about me,
The artist is feeling neglected and unsupported - as if they are facing this pain completely on their own.


I'm just a poor fool that's bluer than blue can be.
The singer feels like a naive and foolish person for feeling this way, even though they can't help it.


When I get that mood indigo,
The intensity of the emotion is such that the artist can't control its arrival or departure.


I could lay me down and die.
The sadness is so great that the singer feels like they can't bear it and would rather cease to exist than continue to feel this way.




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DUKE ELLINGTON, IRVING MILLS, BARNEY BIGARD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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