The Weary Blues Race Quotes

The speaker has made a point of letting his audience know that the musician is African American. A few years after publishing "The Weary Blues," Hughes criticized a young poet for saying, "I want to be a poet – not a Negro poet" (Hughes, Langston. "The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain." The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader).

Lenox Avenue is sort of a code word with hidden meanings. The neighborhood around Lenox Avenue is prominently African American, but the jazz halls were a place where whites and blacks would come into contact socially.

The ebony fingers coming into contact with the ivory piano keys shows the complex relationship between black and white people. Hughes seems to be saying that, yes, when the two groups come together the result is music, but the music isn't always sweet. This type of contact can make a bitter blues.

Like in line 3, the speaker is pointing out the importance in the singer's race. If the speaker is a black man, this is an occasion for racial pride and self-confidence.

The speaker identifies with the musician, but it's never clear if the musician identifies with his audience. We really only have the song lyrics to rely on. The lyrics suggest that the musician is singing the blues for himself. Maybe because his performance is a form of therapy for him, and the performance is just how it comes out.