Steel Blue

The effect of "The Blues" on our daily lives.

The old man stands and stretches, wiping the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief pulled from his back pocket. He turns and looks back at the row he’s been working on, then turns and looks to see what’s left. “Not bad,” he thinks, “…for an old man.” Then quietly laughs. Scanning the field at the other hands, he silently mumbles, “Yep, still keeping up with these young fellers!”

Born a slave on a Mississippi plantation, this is the only life he’s known. Sharecropping now in the 1930’s, is not much different than it was on the plantation. That is, as far as the work is concerned. Hard work and long hours have filled his days. At times he’s wondered if he would have the strength to carry on, but his faith in God, family and himself have pulled him through it all.

Thinking about these things, he bends his back and continues to work.

He swings the hoe and it slices into the dirt…THWACK! Then pulls the weeds back toward the middle of the row…swoooosh…

“Mmmmmmmm…mmmmmmmmmm…mmmmmmm…” he hums.

Down the row, another worker hears him and responds...

“Mmmmmmmm…mmmmmmmmmm…mmmmmmm…”

He hums again:

“Mmmmmmmm…mmmmmmmmmm…mmmmmmm…”

And again the response:

“Mmmmmmmm…mmmmmmmmmm…mmmmmmm…”

“I been workin’ this field, all day long…” he begins to sing.

As he does so, his hoeing and pulling weeds begin to keep a particular rhythm. Each of the other workers begin swinging their hoes in time with him and begin to echo what he sings: “I been workin’ this field, all day long…”

He begins the next line and they all follow along:

“God gives me strength and makes me strong…”

“God gives me strength and makes me strong…”

“I know I’m just flesh, blood and bone…”

“I know I’m just flesh, blood and bone…”

“But with my God, I’ll carry on…”

“But with my God, I’ll carry on…”

He hums again:

“Mmmmmmmm…mmmmmmmmmm…mmmmmmm…”

And again the response:

“Mmmmmmmm…mmmmmmmmmm…mmmmmmm…”

And thus, The Blues were born. Born of hard times, YES! Born of struggle, YES! But born to carry one THROUGH those times, NOT to keep us there!

This has been the most egregious error made when defining “the blues”. We think of depression when we think of “the blues”; we think of a dark, sad, terrible place when we think of “the blues”.

Legends like Lead Belly, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Lightnin' Hopkins, Robert Johnson and MANY, MANY more, didn’t sing ‘the blues’ because they wanted to STAY blue! It was their way of making it through the hard times, through the struggle, through the pain and out the other side!

About halfway through 2011 I saw a ‘reversal of fortunes’, so to speak and I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting and writing ‘blues’ tunes. Most of you reading this know of the struggles and hard times I went through. My wife at the time walked out, all of my music gear was stolen and then I had a heart attack. And, after that, I placed myself in a ‘self-imposed’ exile and shut myself off from most everyone. By my own choice, at the beginning of the next year, I stepped away from the depression and pain, and decided to move on with my life. That decision seemingly opened the door for many positive changes that began to take place.

For starters, I reconnected with a woman that I haven’t seen in almost 30 years and the impossible (impossible because I had sworn off relationships!) happened: we fell in love and are now married. That was just the first of many positive things that took place and are continuing to take place.

In the beginning days of my ‘exile’ I found a burned copy of a Gary Moore c.d. and played it almost incessantly. The song, “Walkin’ By Myself” bore a hole in my soul. The blues that poured out of the speakers, given life by the incredible guitar craftsmanship of the late, great Gary Moore, carried me THROUGH some of the hardest times of my life. The point is: I DID NOT stay there! I came out the other side!

A comment was made on my Facebook site to the effect that, “haven’t we had enough blues?” and my response is (and always will be), “NO!” Since our life goes in cycles, up & down, good & bad, right & wrong, etc., we’re gonna always need “The Blues”. Life isn’t perfect all the time and we’ll need them to see the other side.

In my 30+ years of being a musician, in all the different places I’ve played, to all the different kinds of audiences I’ve played to, one thing remains constant: you play a blues tune, and you’ve got the attention of the crowd! It touches the hearts and emotions of everyone who hears it.

And, when it does, it gives you the strength to carry on. When you do ‘carry on’ through tough times, it makes you a different (better?) person. I believe that strength stays in you. Given life by “The Blues”. (Am I saying that “the blues” are the remedy for depression? Certainly not! YOU are the answer for anything that’s getting you down. YOU have all the tools you need to walk away from hard times, depression, sadness, etc. “The Blues” are just ONE of the ‘arrows in your quiver’. And it’s a powerful one!) “The Blues” makes you stronger, gives you a brighter outlook, makes you WANT to lift your head and look down the row ahead and see what’s coming.

That’s the motivation that gave birth to my new song, “Steel Blue”. I’ve gone through all that crap from that year, and I’m still here, I’m stronger than I was, and I’m ready for what’s coming. I’M STEEL BLUE! I’m geared up and ready to go back to work; ready to get back in the studio; ready to get back out and play; ready for whatever is around the bend!

In my mind’s eye I can see that old man, bending to his work and singing:

“Steel blue...after all these years

Steel blue…after all these tears

Steel blue…after all these trials

Steel blue…after all these miles

I’ve hung on through the heartache

Stuck around through all the pain

Lived through all the give and take

And walked on through the rain

Yeah, I’m…steel blue

Oh, I’m…steel blue.”

(© 2012 Tom Rouse)

So, you’ve lived the blues, you’ve sang the blues, you’ve come out the other side and now you’re STEEL BLUE.