Red-Eyed and Blue

Red-Eyed and Blue by Wilco

Let me clear my throat...



When we came here today
We all felt something true
Now I'm red-eyed and blue

If I were a really, really good writer, I would some how be able to connect this song to the Gettysburg Address. But I'm not. However, I think I'm going to try.

Like the Gettysburg Address, this song is short and doesn't mince it's words. It comes at you quickly and you listen to every word. None of the words are forced or wasted, they all mean something. And there is a brutal, honest, glorious truth to what is being said.

A mere 61 words, this song is frightfully true. This is what Tweedy does best, of course, some how packaging the heart break of relationships and life into a song that is bittersweet. Whenever I hear this song, I can't help but think of the love lost but somehow I'm better off for loving... despite being red-eyed and blue.

If you desire to love someone AND have someone love you, then eventually you'll find yourself in the position where you'll be with someone, feel something true, yet leave with tears in your eyes and a mental state that can only be described as blue. It's a horrible feeling. It's one that makes you upset and leaves you wondering why you can't keep the those true moments and hold them forever. Why you did what you did and why she did what she did. You're so close, yet so far away; like so many things in life.