A Life of Blues: Reflection of African-American Struggles in Music

This paper analyzes how blues music reflects the living conditions of the Afro-American society in the late 19th and early 20th century. It discusses songs like “Take a Little Walk with Me” by Robert Lockwood, “Swing Low, Chariot” by Sister O.M. Terrell and “Young Woman’s Blues” by Bessie Smith.

Running head: A LIFE OF BLUES
A LIFE OF BLUES
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1A LIFE OF BLUES
The blues serves as an artistic expression of the realities faced by African Americans—
hardships, successes, sorrow, and/or joys.
Blues is referred to be one of the oldest music genres that developed in the United States
around the time of the 1870s. Blues genre developed in the southern part of the United States
where the African-Americans sung these kind of songs while in a process of doing various
activities. Blues music can be traced to the original folklore of Africa because in the initial days
blues developed as a music using traditional African instruments that were majorly based on the
African traditions of music. The word blues was derived from the word ‘blue devils’ which
referred to a sense of melancholy or sadness because the kind of songs that are found in the blues
genre of music possesses a kind of story telling of how the African-Americans’ struggle in terms
of slavery and inequality in the society dominated by the ‘whites’ (Palmer). Blues genre of music
was a medium through which the exploited individuals could share their situation to the entire
world. This paper analyses how songs like “Take a Little Walk with Me” by Robert Lockwood,
“Swing Low, Chariot” by Sister O.M. Terrell and “Young Woman’s Blues” by Bessie Smith that
renders a sense of deep meaning in their lyrics which consists of the realities and struggles that
were faced by the song-writers themselves and the only they could spread it to the world was by
their music (Gussow). The thesis statement for this essay is that the blues genre of music
reflects the living conditions of the Afro-American society in the late 19th and early 20th
century.
Robert Lockwood in his song “Take a Little Walk with Me” possesses a deep urge in
which he requests his better half of his life to take a walk with him to a place where the couple
always wanted to be. This song is in deep connection with the situation faced by the
sharecroppers and the field hands who hail in the upper delta of Mississippi, with an urge in their

2A LIFE OF BLUES
hearts in which they all want to flee off to Memphis, in order to feel a relaxation that they have
not experienced for a long time due to the kind of monotony in which they were living. In this
song, Lockwood sings it out how the sharecropper always knew about Memphis has been a city
which offered soul-quenching jazz music every Saturday. It has always been a city that was full
of pleasing art and music and the farmers longed to be a part of that sweet experience that was
full of Jazz music and brilliant pieces of art. Furthermore, in the lyrics that sing “same old
place”, Lockwood tries to mention how Memphis is a place, where the farmers can visit again
and again, and never get tired of it. It is place where the farmers can find a whole new level of
solace that will not match to the previous experience. Thus indicating a new experience with
every visit. The lyrics of “Take a Little Walk with Me” is an indication of Lockwood in which he
mentions the farmers who are at times also stricken with poverty live with the only hope that one
fine day they will be able to combat the monotonous way of living and escape to the world of
freedom. A world where only fun and love exists. This song seems to be alive for eternity
because even after decades the song was released, the modern generation is still able to connect
with every word of the lyrics, especially those who have been trapped in the loop of professional
life devoid of all fun and love. Every individuals trapped in this not so pleasing monotony of life,
tries his best to make full use of the little time that individual gets, by spending it in a joyful
manner surrounded by his/her loved ones. This song is an expression of struggle that the farmers
are willing to undergo just because they have a hope that one day they will be able to escape this
struggle and reach to the place they always wanted to be.
Sister O.M. Terrell’s song “Swing Low, Chariot” is an indication of how the underground
railway developed were coming to the states who have been performing slavery. In this song, the
word ‘chariot’ is a metaphorical representation of the developing underground railways that is

3A LIFE OF BLUES
pacing towards freedom of all those individuals who want freedom from the ongoing slavery.
The line where Terrell sings ‘band of angles’ is the reflection of the poor individuals who have
been trapped in the sphere of slavery and the only hope of these are that the coming development
of railway would free them from the chains of slavery and help them find a new life ultimate
freedom in the Northern countries or countries like Canada. This song is an optimistic way of
motivating the individuals that their hard times would soon fade away and they shall be again be
able to live a life with their consent. Motivation is the only way that a person can survive the
hardest of the times and this song is an example of how the songwriter seeks to motivate the
individuals confined in slavery that soon their lives are going to change. The most unique feature
of this blues genre song is that, unlike other genres that share a pessimistic view of the struggles
of individuals in which they propound the feelings of depression and suicide as the ultimate
solution to the oppressed situation of individuals, this song merrily sings of the unrealistic hope
that would definitely come in the lives of the downtrodden where they can sense the feeling of
being free from all boundaries and go back to the place where they actually belong. Looking at
this utterly optimistic nature of Sister O.M. Terrell, Nat D. Williams could not stop himself from
stating that the blues genre is actually provides a way to keep on living with a hope things which
are not meeting a solution now, would definitely change for the good someday. Even in this
modern generation of skyscrapers and gadgets, people who are face a bad day, fall back on these
kinds of music to rejuvenate their hearts and souls and get back to their day to day life-style.
Lastly, in the song “Young Woman’s Blues”, Bessie Smith provides a view of the
oppressed conditions of the black women in America. African-American women in America
were not free from the racial and sexist distinction in the early twentieth century. Smith through
her songs wanted to tarnish the mentality among the self-proclaimed racially superior people that

4A LIFE OF BLUES
black women were not bound to stay within the boundaries and social and political life. Women
became an object of domestic servitude and also became victims of physical abuse. The
patriarchal society which was prevalent in America during the 1940s, led to a situation where
black women were considered as an inferior race. This song stressed on the freedom of black
women from all kinds of social and conjugal boundaries. In the lines where Smith mentions the
line “No time to marry, no time to settle down…I’m a young woman and I ain’t done runnin’
round” it refers to the mentality that Smith wanted the black women of America should imbibe
because according to her, the black women-folk had the utmost right to live a life where they
would roam around in search of new places and did not need any man to look after her security.
They were bold enough to look after themselves. This song had a major effect in the minds of the
oppressed black-women in the 1940s, though criticisms regarding such a rebellious mentality
was inevitable, especially in the social set-up of America during the 1940s (Yurchenco). This
blue genre song by Bessie Smith is an example how the African-American women used music as
a tool to uplift their societal conditions. . Bessie Smith is also known for highlighting an
important social aspect prevalent in the American society which dealt that black women should
possess full autonomy of their sexual preference. This autonomy was not given to the black
women during those period However, Bessie Smith being such a popular in that era, she was also
equally a part of this exploitation that surrounded the black American females.
Therefore, this paper concludes on a note which suggests the blues genre of music has
significantly impacted the lives of the African-American citizens of the United States because
this genre of music was not merely a form of entertainment, rather is turned out to be a
melodious protest against all the struggles that the specific group of people had to go through.
Various songwriters wrote songs which became a reflection of the struggles that they had to go

5A LIFE OF BLUES
through in order to survive. The discussions made above, also state that the African-Americans
never received their due share of respect and they were always looked down as mere slaves who
were allowed to reside in the lands of the white. Many of the songs from this genre is still
relevant today, because the world is still witnessing how individuals are discriminated on the
basis of their racial and facial attributes.

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References
"Bessie Smith – Young Woman's Blues." Genius. N.p., 2019. Web. 25 Jan. 2019.
"Racing Down The Blues, An Interview With Adam Gussow." Press.uchicago.edu. N.p., 2019.
Web. 25 Jan. 2019.
Palmer, Robert. Deep Blues. Penguin Books, 1986.