Linda Ronstadt: Blue Bayou Meaning

Song Released: 1977

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Blue Bayou Lyrics

I feel so bad I've got a worried mind
I'm so lonesome all the time
Since I left my baby behind on blue bayou

Savin' nickels, savin' dimes
Workin' till the sun don't shine
Lookin' forward to happier times on blue bayou

I'm goin' back...

1. DrRick

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   Jun 3rd 2021 report

   This is a deeply spiritual song. It is longing to return to a heaven once known but lost. One hopes this heaven can be recaptured
2. anonymous

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   Aug 13th 2019 report

   Ronstadt did an awesome job of bringing out all the beauty this song holds. People seek some relief from the stresses and tragedies we all experience. Blue Bayou offers some hoped for relief but it also allows us to grieve what we lost or perhaps never had.
3. anonymous

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   May 4th 2019 report

   To me, it is metaphorical. It is about the end of one's existence of life & returning to a beautiful place, such as a blue bayou. The person had been metaphorically saving nickels & dimes, & will be at last reunited with the love of their life & some of their dear friends. It's a gorgous song, loaded with anticipation; located in a beautiful place, a Blue Bayou. The part stating, "since I left my baby behind, metaphorically means, the loss of that person from this life, but the end result will be a beautiful blue bayou heavenly & spiritual homecoming. No more need for a worried mind, any longer. Peace is the ultimate Gift, and meaning of Blue Bayou. I've always sensed it.
4. anonymous

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   Mar 2nd 2016 report

   Whatever else this song may be about, it describes a unique
   fishing technique practiced in the swampy water (bayous)
   of the southeastern United States.
   The line “and the fishing boats with their sails afloat”
   describes how fishermen on these bayous catch fish.
   When the white-sailed fishing boat reaches the fishing grounds,
   the crew capsizes the boat onto its side, so that its white sail
   is afloat on the surface of the water. It startles the fish,
   which come to the surface to investigate the sudden appearance
   of a great white expanse in the roof of their watery home.
   The fish having been attracted to the surface of the water,
   the fishermen scoop them into their hold, before they right
   their vessel and sail home.
   
   It is surprising how many fishing-ignorant listeners interpret
   “sails afloat” as “sails aloft (i.e., up on the sailboat’s mast)”.

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