Them Blues

Song Meaning

The narrator observes a girlfriend undergoing a confusing personal shift, marked by superficial changes like "hair colors just to match the day." This external adaptation seems to mask an internal struggle, as even professional help from a "therapist" hasn't yielded noticeable improvement. The repeated, almost bewildered question, "What in the world's going on in your world?" underscores the narrator's perplexity and distance from her girlfriend's inner turmoil. The central tension lies in the disconnect between the girlfriend's outward attempts to cope and the narrator's inability to understand or alleviate her distress. The chorus offers a prescriptive, almost simplistic solution: "Run away, play a tune," "Dance it off," "Drive away, find a view," and "Shake it off." These actions are presented as remedies, but they are framed as ways to escape rather than confront the underlying issues. The lyrics employ a stark contrast between the girlfriend's complex, unaddressed problems and the narrator's straightforward, action-oriented advice. The repetition of "them blues" in the chorus serves to both name the affliction and diminish its significance, suggesting it's a temporary, manageable state. This framing, however, feels insufficient given the earlier description of the girlfriend's struggles and the therapist's ineffectiveness. Ultimately, the song's effectiveness stems from its portrayal of a relationship strained by a lack of deep understanding. The narrator's well-intentioned but perhaps naive suggestions highlight the difficulty of truly helping someone when their internal world remains opaque. The repeated chorus acts like a mantra, a hopeful but potentially hollow attempt to will away a deeper sadness.