Ain't nothin' but a good man feelin' down.

[victoriana]

We were reading Langston Hughes' "Weary Blues" today, so I asked my honors class to define "the blues". My favorite comment was from P:

"You can't sing nobody else's blues."

Comments

[snorkmaiden]

Its so true.

[victoriana]

It is, I think. Especially once you add K's corrollary: "But you can hear somebody else's blues and relate it with your blues."

[heatermcca]

THERE's a kid who gets it.

[victoriana]

Yeah, every now and then they have shining moments of insight and it thrills my little soul.

[greyduck]

First reaction: "Huh. Is that so?"

Second reaction, ten second later. "Huh. I think he's onto something there."

[victoriana]

I think it's an interesting way of looking at it, anyway. It also makes me wonder what the world's many blues cover artists would have to say about it.

[kugelblitz]

Give him an A for the day, that is nigh perfect.

[victoriana]

I wrote his quote up on the board, and I think I might even use it on the test. :)

[badmagic]

If anyone had asked my to define "the blues," my first answer would have been "weltschmertz."

I gotta say P's answer was a heck of a lot better than that.

[victoriana]

And if you'd said "weltschmertz" in my class, I probably would have responded with "Gesundheit."