Best out of the Blues

Song Meaning

The lyrics paint a stark picture of economic hardship, opening with a somber "midnight in the promised land" where "families in the rain" are displaced by the actions of "banks and politicians." This immediate imagery establishes a tone of disillusionment and widespread suffering, suggesting a nation fractured and failing its citizens. The phrase "broken near in two" powerfully conveys this deep societal division. The central tension lies in the overwhelming presence of "hard times," explicitly compared to the Great Depression era of "'29." The narrator acknowledges the lack of "easy answers" and "excuse," highlighting a systemic failure that leaves individuals feeling powerless. This helplessness is amplified by the blame game described in the second verse, where "fools to blame got you blaming me and me blaming you," underscoring the futility of finger-pointing when collective action is needed. The most striking aspect of the writing is the persistent call to action amidst despair: "make the best out of the blues." This refrain acts as a resilient mantra, urging a proactive stance despite the bleak circumstances. The shift in the final verse from dwelling on past and future hardships to a more immediate, present-focused "go the way you choose" and "give more than you take" offers a path forward. The outro's "life's too short for bitching" and "put on your dancing shoes" transforms the blues from a state of passive suffering into an active, albeit challenging, way of living. Ultimately, these lyrics resonate because they acknowledge the crushing weight of external forces while championing an internal resilience. The power isn't in finding solutions to the "mess" but in the defiant act of living fully and generously *within* the hardship. It's a grounded, unvarnished take on enduring difficult times, finding agency not by escaping the blues, but by dancing with them.