The title track, the album's first single, was an elegy for Neil Young's 1948 Buick Roadmaster hearse, his first car. The album stemmed from a desire by both Young and Stills to pick up where they left off with their Buffalo Springfield-era guitar explorations. CSNY cohorts David Crosby and Graham Nash got wind of the project, and "Long May You Run" briefly became a CSNY album. But before long, Young and Stills decided to wipe Crosby and Nash's vocal harmonies from the album tracks in their absence (ironically, Crosby and Nash were busy putting finishing touches on their own duet record.) Crosby and Nash were livid when they found out, and it would be eight years before the quartet even considered working together again (Crosby, Stills and Nash would regroup in 1977 for an album and tour.)
12-8 Blues
The Stills-Young Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can you hear me dyin'?
I wanna talk to you, listen too
Do you know me like I know you?
Do you love me like I love you?
Is it all the same? Yeah
We'll be old friends, tryin'
Listen to me, sing to you
I got the music, I need the space
I'd like to use it to get out of this place
'Cause it's all the same, yeah
I got the miserables, help me
Don't seem sensible, tell me
I wanna talk to you, listen too
Too many times I've swallowed my words
Is it a crime to want to be heard?
Or is is it all the same? Yeah
The Stills-Young Band's song "12-8 Blues" is a bluesy rock ballad that delves into themes of loneliness, desperation, and the longing for connection. The lyrics are directed towards an unnamed individual whom the singer is addressing in a desperate plea for someone to listen to them. The repeated rhetorical questions of "Can you see me cryin'?" and "Can you hear me dyin'?" establish a sense of desperation and vulnerability, highlighting the singer's isolation and need for someone to understand their pain.
Throughout the song, the singer questions whether the person they're addressing truly knows and understands them. The lines "Do you know me like I know you? / Do you love me like I love you? / Is it all the same? Yeah" suggest a lack of reciprocity in the relationship, and that the singer may be feeling unappreciated and overlooked. The repeated refrain of "Is it all the same? Yeah" implies a sense of resignation, as if the singer has come to accept their feelings of loneliness and futility.
In the second verse, the singer shifts from their emotional state to talking about their need for music as an escape. The lines "I got the music, I need the space / I'd like to use it to get out of this place / 'Cause it's all the same, yeah" suggest that the singer uses music as a means to cope with their emotions and desires for something more. The final verse reiterates the desperation present in the rest of the song, with the singer expressing a sense of frustration over not being heard and seeking validation through communication.
Overall, "12-8 Blues" is a poignant exploration of the human desire for connection and the lengths we go to in order to overcome loneliness and isolation.
Line by Line Meaning
Can you see me cryin'?
Are you able to see the tears running down my face?
Can you hear me dyin'?
Are you able to hear me feeling dead inside?
I wanna talk to you, listen too
I want to have a conversation with you and have you listen to me as well.
Do you know me like I know you?
Do you understand who I am as much as I know who you are?
Do you love me like I love you?
Do you have the same level of love for me as I have for you?
Is it all the same? Yeah
Is everything we're feeling identical and mutual?
We'll be old friends, tryin'
We will remain close friends as we continue to struggle through life.
Til' the road ends, we'll be flyin'
We will continue to soar through life together until the end of the journey.
Listen to me, sing to you
Hear me out while I sing this song to you.
I got the music, I need the space
I have the talent for music, but I require more room to develop it fully.
I'd like to use it to get out of this place
I want to use music to escape the mundane routine and environment.
'Cause it's all the same, yeah
For now, everything is all identical and monotonous.
I got the miserables, help me
I have a terrible case of melancholy and need some assistance dealing with it.
Don't seem sensible, tell me
It doesn't appear logical, so please explain it to me.
Too many times I've swallowed my words
I've remained silent too many times, without expressing myself.
Is it a crime to want to be heard?
Is it wrong to desire to be heard and for my views to be acknowledged?
Or is it all the same? Yeah
Or does everything remain uniform and similar to before?
Lyrics © Wixen Music Publishing
Written by: Stephen A Stills
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Light verse Vin Konings
A great album! One of my all time favorites!
- XxJimmyPagexX -
Stills at his best
Otto Greenleaf
First to comment. Great song and thanks to David Browne for his CSN&Y biography and the songs that were listed. Cheers!
Carolyn Boyd
None better.