Moanin' the Blues / Nobody's Lonesome for Me - Hank Williams
Why included: 10th in RYM's Top 10 singles of 1950
A-side: Moanin' the Blues
Apple Music link: https://music.apple.com/us/album/moanin-the-blues-single-version/1434905254?i=1434905521
Maybe this title might seem fitter for a grizzly bluesman like Howlin' Wolf than the king of the honky-tonkers, but if anyone country musician had earned the right to put "blues" in one of his titles, it was Hank (well, maybe Jimmie Rodgers as well, but he was an actual country bluesman, closer in spirit to Blind Willie McTell or Mississippi John Hurt than any future country disciple of his). In fact, this is quite a good title because he hardly sings as much as he groans and wails his way throughout the song. This is where he finally nailed the art of edging his audience: rather than having concentrated bursts of pain (like in "Long Gone Lonesome Blues") or destroying his audience with emotion from the get-go (like in "Lovesick Blues"), he slowly but viscerally builds up the tension, constantly sounding like he's on the verge of a breakdown until it erupts with a guttural moan of despair. It has a truly devastating power that few can compete with, providing sizable competition with the gloomiest of Chicago blues and making most other country recordings seem fluffy in comparison. One should never underestimate Hank in a depressive mood, and this is one of the most harrowing examples of his artistic genius.
B-side: Nobody's Lonesome For Me
Spotify link: https://open.spotify.com/track/4hx7B8TCMXljgRhQgboyFf?si=d04c7fbec3c941b6
This is as catchy and emotionally striking as anything he released in his prime, but this is one of my all-time favorite songs of his because of how many classic lines are contained here. This is like the ULTIMATE "I'm sad and lonely" song, mixing in self-deprecating humor in the lyrics with genuine anguish to great effect. In fact, the lyrics here are so good I think I'll post the 5 best quotes from the song with some commentary:
- "Everybody's lonesome for somebody else, but nobody's lonesome for me" - the chorus itself encapsulates the theme of romantic loneliness so well, doesn't it? Watching everybody happily in relationships and having lovers of their own, but being all alone yourself? I'd even argue that, given that Hank was in a relationship at this time, the song might imply he doesn't have anyone he felt cared about him, his lover not giving him the affection he needed to be happy.
- "When the time rolls around for me to lay down and die, I bet I'll have to go and hire me someone to cry" - man, this is such a morbidly humorous way of saying that "no one will care if I'm gone." It might seem like a funny exaggeration at first, but taking into account his deteriorating mental health and his looming mortality within 3 years of this song, it becomes very eerie to hear him sing that line.
- "All I need is a bride who want's a big-hearted groom. I wouldn't care if she come ridin' in on a broom" - I think invoking the "witch" image is actually quite nuanced because a "witch" description is used in different ways, whether it be an evil personality or superficial ugliness. Yet, it could also mean that he wants by some magical spell to have a woman apparate into his life who could appreciate his complex, bleeding personality. Maybe I am reading too much into this, but the fact that I can come up with different interpretations should show he was pretty underrated as a lyricist.
- "Oh, I shined up my shoes, and then I slicked down my hair, put on my Sunday suit, but I ain't goin' nowhere" - it's interesting that he would describe all of the work he put into looking nice and then says he's going nowhere. It might seem like that would have a straightforward interpretation, but the reason he is going nowhere is a bit ambiguous. Does he mean he's gonna meet other women and have nothing come out of it? Does he wear his stuff symbolically for his untapped romantic availability? Does the fact it is a Sunday suit mean he is not gonna be able to attain heaven, and if so, what type of heaven is being described here?
- "Now I ain't had a kiss since I fell out of my crib. It looks to me like I been cheated out of my rib" - the first line there is just witty and funny, but the second line is actually referencing (as a commentator on Genius.com pointed out) Genesis 2:22, where god made Eve out of Adam's rib to symbolize a woman must be beside her man and how they complement each other. Maybe Hank did spend a little more time writing these lyrics than one would think.
Of course, all of this could be seriously overanalyzing a song that comes across as quite simplistic, and much of their charm obviously comes from Hank's vocal personality. Yet, every line here stuck within my memory walls so strongly that I had to provide some justification for why that was the case.
Verdict: Essential Listening
Really, it's incredible that Hank could churn out dozens of whiny, loser tunes per year and still make each and every one ring true without feeling repetitive or irritating in the slightest. Though, it is hard to imagine his style ever sounding forced if that pathos was all too real, reflecting a tortured, tormented spirit coming from deeply painful experiences in his tragic life Hank was never able to shake off. With this perspective, both the musically devastating "Moanin' The Blues" and the wit of "Nobody's Lonesome For Me" become haunting self-testaments that only become more powerful in an age where this outlook on life only becomes more pervasive. At the very least, Hank will probably be a kindred spirit for so many suffering today, and sometimes, having direct, emotional music like this can be a good friend that can heal in profound ways.
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