Posted by tomw on August 11, 2002, 10:30 am --Previous Message--
...hey, JP, I'll take a shot at this verse, even though you ask 10 people you get 10 different interpretations...this verse is one of my favorite in blues because of it's poetic image. I think on one level it's a straight ahead blues theme about a man leaving on the next train, but w/ some ambiguity due to 'a' suitcase in his hand, or in the one version, it sounds like 'my' suitcase in my hand. So you ask yourself, why is he leaving? You can only guess at the reason. When he's leaving on the train in the last verse, the image is one of his unrequited love, we presume, riding off into the sunset, and left behind with his woman is his 'blues'(blue light) and anger (red light), but is he mad at her, himself, or some uncontrollable circumstance?
The uncertainty of the song is it's poetic beauty, plus the image of the leaving train and the various lights associated w/ trains and tracks, though I'm not sure if blue is actually a train signal color, it may be poetic license. Anyway, it's a great song to play and sing,,,what does anyone else think??
: Can someone interpret for me the last verse of
: Robert Johnson's "Love in Vain":
: "When the train left the station,
: There was two lights on behind
: Well, the blue light was my blues,
: And the red light was my mind"
: I'm also puzzled by the last verse of Willie
: Brown's "Future Blues", which
: contains the lines "T for Texas, T
: for Tennessee" -- I understand this
: one may just be nonsense that sounds good.
: All opinions welcomed. TIA.
: John
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