It's awfully considerate of you to think of me here
And I'm much obliged to you for making it clear
That I'm not here.
And I never knew we could be so thick
And I never knew the moon could be so blue
And I'm grateful that you threw away my old shoes
And brought me here instead dressed in red
And I'm wondering who could be writing this song.

I don't care if the sun don't shine
And I don't care if nothing is mine
And I don't care if I'm nervous with you
I'll do my loving in the winter.

And the sea isn't green
And I love the queen
And what exactly is a dream
And what exactly is a joke.



Lyrics submitted by Demau Senae

Track duration: 02:10

"Jugband Blues" as written by Syd Barrett

Lyrics © T.R.O. INC.

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Jugband Blues song meanings
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62 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:They don't even have "sanitariums" anymore. Jeez.. You people know nothing about Mental Illness... m blank is the only smart one here.
    Flag cecaniahon January 01, 2011   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:I find it interesting how many people seem to completely misinterpret this song as being about Syd losing control of his mind, when in reality the whole thing was his own thinly veiled jab at the rest of the Floyd. It's true that Syd was le...tting go of his grip on reality at this point and had completely retreated as a performer, but as far as he was concerned the lyrics were meant to sarcastically call the people around him out on their shit. He felt the constant back biting and accusations about his sanity were demeaning and unwarranted, which is what this song is really about.

    He sings about how "considerate" it is of the people in question to think of him as being present, while they simultaneously mention him and his supposed mental vacantness at any given opportunity for the sake of publicity. He then "thanks" them for "throwing away his old shoes" (taking away his authority in the band) and "bringing him here dressed in red" (as a martyr). Finally he wraps it up nicely with "and I wonder who could be writing this song?" It's pure sarcasm. I'm not saying he wasn't completely losing it at this point, but it's pretty clear to me what the song was actually trying to say..."The sea isn't green, and I love the queen. And what exactly is a dream? And what exactly is a joke?". Sorry Syd.
    Flag MBArkestraon December 21, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:The first line is saying that he knows there {the other band members} trying to make him feel like he's still apart but its clear that he's not.

    And i dont care if the sun dont shine
    and i dont care if nothing is mine
    Shows he feels alienated from the rest of the band.
    Flag HeavyDickon May 17, 2010   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I saw this song as not only a reflection on Syd's own slowly increasing mental instability but also a fairly biting comment on the band's treatment of him. The first three lines could be making reference to his not being mentally here but physically as well as the band phased him out for more perhaps stable songwriters. The two lines following combine the implied subdued or lonely feeling of blue and the wistfullness of the imagery of the moon to give an air of sad misplacement. Taking his shoes might be interpreted as filling his shoes or just taking his role away from him with being dressed in red, as if for sacrifice, might reference sacrificing him to his own mental instability as the band was one of the few outlets Barret had left. And wondering just who could be writing this song could clearly be interpreted as a sarcastic question to his bandmates. The next verse I'm not quite sure of but it does give the idea of persistence despite some kind of setback and considering his solo work that could perhaps be what was meant. The final verse however clearly shows how fractured Syd's world is without the band two fantastical lines followed by two confessions of his own, now distorted, reality.
    Flag Chomsky12on April 21, 2010   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation:ok, so this is what i got from the song:

    It's awfully considerate of you to think of me here
    And I'm much obliged to you for making it clear
    That I'm not here.

    This is a joke that Syd wrote to the rest of the band, if you read the past comments you will understand why.

    And I never knew the moon could be so big
    And I never knew the moom could be so blue
    And I'm grateful that you threw away my old shoes
    And brought me here instead dressed in red
    And I'm wondering who could be writing this song.

    The first two lines are talking about his supposed insanity, while the following line is saying that people were forcing him to change, and this is said in a ironic way (beeing the shoes his habits)
    the next line i have no clue what it might mean, but its possible that its what someone said on a older post about that talked about sacrifice.
    "And I'm wondering who could be writing this song."
    well, this is just pure sarcasm, what he means by this is, if I'm not here, then who is writing this song? (he is saying that he is lucid)

    I don't care if the sun don't shine
    And I don't care if nothing is mine
    And I don't care if I'm nervous with you
    I'll do my loving in the winter.

    This paragraph is just showing his disinterest to everything that might happen from that time on.

    And the sea isn't green
    And I love the queen
    And what exactly is a dream
    And what exactly is a joke.

    And these last two lines, i just can't put to words what i got from here, its just has way too mutch meaning :P
    Flagged Ikilikuzon February 28, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment:It's syd's last song on pink floyd, and i believe its a "good bye" song.

    It's awfully considerate of you to think of me here
    And I'm much obliged to you for making it clear
    That I'm not here.

    This part is pretty clear. He is telling that he is not in the band anymore. Even if he was not really gone on this album, he only wrote this song, and not do the shows anymore.

    And I never knew the moon could be so big
    And I never knew the room could be so blue

    I believe its moon on both lines, but i dont know what he is talking about. Its cool, thought. Any one know why this floyds fixation on the moon?

    And I'm grateful that you threw away my old shoes
    And brought me here instead dressed in red
    And I'm wondering who could be writing this song.

    Here he is beeing sarcastic about the band's change in style. And he, who made almost all the piper at the gates of down, now was geting away, and asking how the band would keep going without him.

    I don't care if the sun don't shine
    And I don't care if nothing is mine
    And I don't care if I'm nervous with you
    I'll do my loving in the winter.

    Now he is saying he dont mind with all this. He dont care about what the band will turn, and how they get him out. He'll do his loving in the winter. I love this line.

    And the sea isn't green
    And I love the queen
    And what exactly is a dream
    And what exactly is a joke.

    The saddest part of the song. He's talking about the loss of the dream that he made, the pink floyd, and now was gone.

    Maybe i'm wrong, and its nothing to do with syd's departure from the band. But just becouse he is crazy doesn't mean he's allways singing about his mental status, or the LSD.
    He was a genius too, and he don't sings about how genial he was. But i think it's way to clear a "good bye" song, even if i heard the other members saying its not. Syd's lyrics are always understimated becouse of all this "he was crazy" stuff, but he was really good at it. Take a look on the "Bob dylan blues" if you dont belive me. Its a more straight song by him. And, by the way, this is a amazing song. One of my floyd favorits.
    Flagged goblinfloydon June 18, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:if anyones ever been on a bad trip on lsd or mushrooms can relate to this song
    ive been on many a bad trips and every time ive felt like ive gone insane and that i have fried
    u feel like u are literally dead and u are not "there" in that time or place
    nothing makes sense in the trip and u get extremely confused and u come to the conclusion that u are never going to come out of the trip and will have to live like this
    the last bad trip i went on i was with some friends wen all of a sudden everything starts to not make any sense
    my friends actions were defying the laws of nature
    theyre faces were melting and theyre feet were falling thru the ground and everything they said made no sense at all
    i felt as if i were the only sane one trying to make sense of everything
    but in reality it was the complete opposite
    i looked like the crazy one while my friends tried helping me
    i kept feeling my heartbeat and telling myself i am still alive but wen ur state of mind is altered, u need a lot more than a heartbeat to return to sanity

    when u observe someone on a bad trip it seems as tho they themselves are the crazy ones but in theyre mind and trip they r trying everything they can to keep sane

    i believe syd was just misunderstood
    people need to understand wats its like to be insane before they judge
    i kno i have..
    Flag sydbarretton April 18, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:With knowing Syd's history, I find this song to be really profound, in a sense- it's his last contribution to the band, and I find his "insanity" (either actual or pinned on him, whichever you believe) is very obvious. I've heard theories that he just "pretended" to be mad to mess with people, which gives new meaning to the line: "And what exactly is a dream? And what exactly is a joke?"

    I'm not trying to suggest he's insane or anything. It's inappropriate to try and "diagnose" his condition without actually knowing him, or possessing a degree in psychology, for that matter. I just find Syd Barrett really really facinating, and this song is a complete personification (I don't know if that's the word I'm looking for...) of him.
    Flag ACatastrophicSmileon January 23, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I think people are really romanticizing Syd's life way too much. I think he was a young man searching for his identity and finding that he was being rewarded for being as weird as possible. And that people were responding to him as an icon and not as a human.

    It's awfully considerate of you to think of me here
    And I'm much obliged to you for making it clear
    That I'm not here.

    I think that line is a reference to the band. He knew that he was on the way out. He's saying it is nice that people are being considerate of his condition, and that he appreciates knowing that he is on the way out. This was Syd's goodbye tune, after all.

    It could also refer to his relationship with the fans, that they applaud his far-out image while not seeing the real Syd (Roger) underneath.

    And I never knew the moon could be so big
    And I never knew the moon could be so blue

    I'm pretty sure that is "moon" in both lines. There is the symmetry between the lines, for one thing. And a "blue moon" is the second full moon in the same month. It occurs every 2.5 years or so. I imagine Syd lonely and watching the moon, as people do sometimes.

    And I'm grateful that you threw away my old shoes
    And brought me here instead dressed in red

    I seem to remember a story about Syd's shoes. Something about how they had to tape them up to keep them on. And later on they were replaced by the Gohill's boots, of course. And dressed in red is very flashy, like his external image had become.

    And I'm wondering who could be writing this song.

    So here we have Syd who has become an icon, driven by fans to drop too much acid and act bizarre. He's trying to figure out which parts are the real Syd (Roger) and which parts are just an act.

    I don't care if the sun don't shine
    And I don't care if nothing is mine
    And I don't care if I'm nervous with you
    I'll do my loving in the winter.

    I hear this as the real Syd breaking out for a moment.

    And the sea isn't green
    And I love the queen
    And what exactly is a dream
    And what exactly is a joke.

    I think this last part is partly wordplay. But I also think is says that in the midst of all the drugs and fame and insanity, he is wondering what is real.


    Lastly, I think that Syd's mental condition was probably way overplayed by the media. Still, it is clear that he was having problems and was not able to keep it together. He is not in a sanitarium, though he did see several psychiatrists. He went to live with his mother, produced a few more records, then became reclusive, preferring to paint rather than to make music.
    Flagged Branciforteon December 18, 2008   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:You know what, phasetransition? Maybe that IS what happened to him.
    Flag Pippin the Mercuryon October 28, 2008   Link

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