The Weary Blues : Summary

Summary

The poem describes a night when the speaker hears a Black musician playing the piano on Lenox Avenue in Harlem. The music is slow, sad, and sleepy, with a jazzy rhythm. The man sways back and forth while playing. The weak gas light makes the scene look even more lonely and quiet. The music he plays is the “Weary Blues,” a kind of blues song that expresses tiredness and sadness.

The speaker notices how the man’s dark hands press the white piano keys. It creates a sound so emotional that it feels like the piano itself is crying. The musician sits on a shaky stool. He moves his body with the rhythm. He plays the rough, raggy tune with deep feeling. The blues coming from his soul are both sweet and sorrowful. This music shows the true pain inside him.

Then the man begins to sing. His voice is deep and sad. The words of his song show how lonely he feels. He says he has nobody in the world, only himself. He tries to comfort himself by saying he will stop worrying and put his troubles aside. But even then, he cannot escape the sadness. As he keeps playing, he sings more lines. He says he has the “Weary Blues” and cannot be satisfied with life. He is not happy anymore. He even wishes he were dead. These lines show his deep pain, hopelessness, and emotional exhaustion.

The musician keeps singing into the late night. The stars and moon disappear as time passes. But he continues to pour his sadness into the song. Finally, he stops, goes to bed, and sleeps deeply. The poem ends by saying he sleeps like a rock or like a dead man, with the “Weary Blues” still echoing in his head.

The poem shows a Black blues musician who expresses his loneliness and deep sadness through music. The blues song becomes a way to share his pain with the world. It also shows the loneliness, sadness, and frustration of the black African-American life at that time.