The Swinging Blue Jeans are a four-piece 60s British merseybeat band, best … Read Full Bio ↴The Swinging Blue Jeans are a four-piece 60s British merseybeat band, best known for their proto-rave-up hit single "Hippy Hippy Shake" (also known as "The Hippy Hippy Shake"). Intriguingly, while the song sounds rather Beatles-clone like, the Beatles did in fact do a cover version of this song for the BBC. The Swinging Blue Jeans had a spell of moderate success, breaking into the U.S. with the aforementioned hit but also charting again and again in the U.K. such as with the top 5 cover track "You're No Good". Sadly, they seemed to fly along with the all-pervading merseybeat success story. Once the novelty started to pale, the hits dried up, and the band eventually retired to the oldies circuit.

Guitarist Terry Sylvester left the group in the late 60s, and he joined another seminal Britsh rock act, The Hollies, as a replacement for the departing Graham Nash. The Swinging Blue Jeans, with some original members, soldiered on through the decades. A version of the group, with singer-songwriter and guitarist Ray Ennis remaining, continues to tour to this day.

Singing the blues
The Swinging Blue Jeans Lyrics

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Trying to makes something of myself, life's got something else in mind
I'm fighting a losing game and I'm biding my time
You won't be my man, do I understand, no, stop
I don't want to hear another word about your 'why not's', I bought
Your bullshit it all before now you trying to sell me more, babe

Man who makes a beast out of himself got nothing to lose
Sold my soul long ago, nothing left to choose
I'm tired, tired of singing the blues
I'm tired

I'm walking down the streets, you wouldn't know what I was thinking
It's just another white girl day, hey,
Ribbons in my hair, and I am sinking down
A double life, a sordid past, and I am drinking now
I want to be bad
You say you were glad to see me shut up
I don't want to know another thing you think you know about me
I'm not who you think I am, smiling but I ain't happy

A man who makes a beast out of himself got nothing to lose
Sold my soul long ago, nothing I can choose
I'm tired, tired of singing the blues
I'm tired

Oh, my soul forgot, I can't turn off my mind
It's like a ticking time bomb trying to kill me from inside
I mean day and night
Is there no remedy for memory?

I've felt this way before, I've known the depths of desperation
My boyfriend says I'm like an old
Movie star with loneliness as my occupation
I know that he's right but I don't care tonight
I want to be bad, I want to be bad, I can't stop
I keep running around the same town, knocking you down, I'm fucked
How can I get out when there's nowhere to go for miles around

A man who makes a beast out of himself got nothing to lose
Sold my soul long ago, nothing I can choose

I'm tired, tired of singing the blues
I'm tired

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to The Swinging Blue Jeans’ “Singing the Blues” appear to be about a person who is experiencing a great deal of inner turmoil and frustration. The singer seems to feel as though they are constantly facing obstacles and are unable to make any significant progress in their life. The song suggests that the universe is conspiring against the singer and that their efforts to improve their situation are futile. The singer feels stuck in a rut and is longing for change but unable to find a way out.

The lyrics also touch on the theme of identity as the singer is struggling to define themselves and feel as though they are not being accurately represented by others. There is a sense of loneliness and detachment from society as the singer feels that they are not understood by those around them. They are feeling restless and are yearning for a sense of freedom, but are unable to find it.

Overall, “Singing the Blues” is a melancholic and introspective song that addresses themes of frustration, disillusionment, and despair.

Line by Line Meaning

You know sometimes I think god Is playing a little game with me Looking down from heaven, laughing Tryina see how much I can take Because the way things go, it's like a joke Nobody's had more shots at the moon and missed than me
I feel like God is testing me and finding it amusing, as I keep getting hit with setbacks. It's becoming quite comical how many times I've failed at achieving my goals.

It's like I got my life stuck, stuck on rewind Trying to makes something of myself, life's got something else in mind I'm fighting a losing game and I'm biding my time You won't be my man, do I understand, no, stop I don't want to hear another word about your 'why not's', I bought Your bullshit it all before now you trying to sell me more, babe
It feels like my life is repeating over and over again, and every effort I make to improve it is thwarted. I keep playing a losing game and waiting for someone to rescue me, but you're not that person. I'm tired of hearing your excuses and false promises.

Man who makes a beast out of himself got nothing to lose Sold my soul long ago, nothing left to choose I'm tired, tired of singing the blues I'm tired
A person who behaves recklessly has little to lose, and I feel like that's where I am. I've given up so much in pursuit of my dreams, and now I feel like I have nothing left. I'm exhausted from constantly being unhappy and singing about my sorrows.

I'm walking down the streets, you wouldn't know what I was thinking It's just another white girl day, hey, Ribbons in my hair, and I am sinking down A double life, a sordid past, and I am drinking now I want to be bad You say you were glad to see me shut up I don't want to know another thing you think you know about me I'm not who you think I am, smiling but I ain't happy
As I walk down the streets, I feel like no one can understand what I'm going through. I might look like an ordinary girl, but I'm hiding a darker side of myself. I'm starting to drink to forget about my problems and I feel like being reckless. You're happy to see me silent, but you don't really know me or what I'm going through. Despite my smile, I'm far from content.

Oh, my soul forgot, I can't turn off my mind It's like a ticking time bomb trying to kill me from inside I mean day and night Is there no remedy for memory?
My mind won't stop racing, and it feels like I'm on the brink of insanity. I can't stop thinking about everything that's happened to me, and it's causing me unbearable pain. I wonder if there's anything that can help me forget my past.

I've felt this way before, I've known the depths of desperation My boyfriend says I'm like an old Movie star with loneliness as my occupation I know that he's right but I don't care tonight I want to be bad, I want to be bad, I can't stop I keep running around the same town, knocking you down, I'm fucked How can I get out when there's nowhere to go for miles around
I've been in this hopeless state many times before and fully understand how dire things are. My boyfriend says that I'm like a fading starlet who has grown accustomed to a life of isolation. I know he's right, but I don't care - tonight I want to do something reckless. I keep going around in circles in this town, causing trouble wherever I go. I'm lost and don't know how to escape when there's no place nearby to turn to.

A man who makes a beast out of himself got nothing to lose Sold my soul long ago, nothing I can choose I'm tired, tired of singing the blues I'm tired
A person who becomes savage has very little to lose, and I feel like that's where I am. I've given up so much and don't feel like I have any control over my life anymore. I'm exhausted from constantly singing about my troubles and want to break free from them.

Writer(s): Melvin Endsley

Contributed by Jayce O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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