☝️ Key Points
- The song lyrics are about a woman who is mistreated by her husband.
- She describes his strange style of dressing and how he treats her meanly.
- Although he mistreats her, he is kind and gentle in moments of love.
- She realizes that love can lead to doing things she knows are wrong.
- The singer longs for love and affection, but knows she cannot stay with someone who treats her so poorly.
Interpretation
In the lyrics of the song 'Fine and Mellow' by
Billie Holiday, it is about a woman who is mistreated by her husband. She sings about how he treats her mean and is the worst man she's ever seen. She describes his strange style of dressing, with rolled-up pants and yellow stripes.
But even though he mistreats her, when he loves her, he is so fine and gentle. She recognizes that love can make you do things you know are wrong. She compares the effects of love to drinking, gambling, and staying out all night.
However, she says that if her husband treated her right, she would stay home every day. But because he is so mean to her, she knows he will eventually drive her away.
At the end of the song, she compares love to a faucet that turns on and off. Sometimes you think love is there, but then it shuts off and goes away.
Overall, the lyrics of the song express the frustration and pain that the singer experiences due to her husband's mistreatment. She longs for love and affection but knows she cannot be with someone who treats her so poorly.