Song Meaning
The narrator frames their inherent sadness as a predetermined state, contrasting it with a life of ease and prosperity. They explicitly state, "Some folks were meant to live in clover," but immediately dismiss this possibility for themselves, noting, "clover being green / Is something I've never seen." This establishes a core tension: a perceived natural inclination towards melancholy versus the external world's perceived happiness. The repetition of "chosen few" emphasizes the narrator's feeling of being outside of this fortunate group. The core assertion, "Cause I was born to be blue," acts as a refrain, reinforcing this sense of inescapable disposition.
This feeling of being born blue is further illustrated through sensory deprivation. When others see "moonbeams I should view," the narrator cannot "behold" them because "moonbeams being gold." This suggests a fundamental inability to perceive or experience the beauty and joy that others take for granted. The color imagery is key here: clover is green, a color of life and growth, while moonbeams are gold, associated with riches and light. The narrator sees neither, reinforcing their isolation from conventional sources of happiness.
The arrival and departure of a lover introduce a sharp, albeit temporary, shift. The world was "bright and sunny" when this person was present, a stark contrast to the narrator's usual state. However, their leaving triggers a dramatic collapse: "the curtain fell." The inability to find humor, even when desired, and the subsequent description of the world as a "faded pastel" powerfully convey the return to, and perhaps deepening of, the narrator's inherent blue. This isn't just sadness; it's a desaturation of experience.
Despite this pervasive melancholy, the narrator finds a peculiar form of solace and justification in the memory of love. They acknowledge a potential paradox: "I guess I'm luckier than some folks / I've known the thrill of lovin' you." This intense experience, even in its loss, is framed as something extraordinary, perhaps even exceeding their predetermined capacity for happiness. The line, "And that alone is more than I was created for," suggests that experiencing such profound joy, even briefly, is a remarkable event for someone "born to be blue," providing a bittersweet validation for their existence.
