The Weary Blues
by Langston Hughes
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See Also
- Langston Hughes (Critical Survey of Poetry: American Poets)
- Langston Hughes (Cyclopedia of World Authors, Fourth Revised Edition)
- Langston Hughes (Dictionary of World Biography: The 20th Century)
- Langston Hughes (Identities & Issues in Literature)
- Langston Hughes (Critical Survey of Short Fiction, Second Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Langston Hughes
- First Published: 1923
- Type of Work: Poem
- Genres: Poetry, Lyric poetry
- Subjects: African Americans, New York, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., United States or Americans, Music or musicians, New York City, 1920's, Emotions, Death or dying, Depression, mental, Loneliness, Joy or sorrow, Piano music, Night
The Work
“The Weary Blues” is about a piano player Hughes knew in Harlem. According to critic Edward J. Mullen, Hughes called “The Weary Blues” his “lucky poem” because it placed first in a literary contest sponsored by the National Urban League in 1925. Unlike “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” however, “The Weary Blues” received greatly mixed reviews from both black and white critics. It was called everything from a masterpiece to doggerel.
The work blends jazz, blues, and poetry into powerful lyric poetry. The narrator’s voice begins the poem:
(The entire page is 694 words.)
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Popular Questions
See all »- What is the poem "The Weary Blues" about? What is the theme, and can you relate to the poem? Why or why not?
- Describe the blues based on how "The Weary Blues" presents this kind of music.
- What is the poem "The Weary Blues" about, and what is the theme of the poem? Can you personally relate to the poem, and why or why...
- Why do you think Hughes entitled this poem "The Weary Blues" rather than something like "Harlem Blues" or "Piano Man Blues"? ...
- In an era before the American Civil Rights Movement, what social and economic conditions might have contributed to the sense of weariness...
