# Young Gal's Blues explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Langston Hughes.

## What happens

A young woman contemplates death, poverty, and aging, finding solace in love to ward off despair.

## Themes in this chapter

### Death and Mortality

The speaker walks to the graveyard and contrasts the cold grave with the loneliness of the poorhouse, expressing a preference for death over ugliness and old age.

### Love and Loss

The speaker asks what a young gal can do when love is gone, and pleads for continued love to avoid being blue.

## Character check-ins

### Cora

Mentioned as 'ma friend Miss Cora Lee,' the speaker walks behind her to the graveyard.

### Unknown

The speaker, a young gal, reflects on mortality, loneliness, and the need for love.

### Daddy

Addressed as 'daddy' in the final plea for continued love to avoid sadness.

## Key lines

> I’m gonna walk to de graveyard ’Hind ma friend Miss Cora Lee.

I will follow my friend Cora Lee to the cemetery.

_The speaker anticipates her own death and funeral procession._

> De po’ house is lonely An’ de grave is cold. O, de po’ house is lonely, De graveyard grave is cold. But I’d rather be dead than To be ugly an’ old.

The poorhouse is lonely and the grave is cold, but I would prefer death over becoming ugly and old.

_The speaker weighs the hardships of poverty and aging against the finality of death._

> When love is gone what Can a young gal do? When love is gone, O, What can a young gal do? Keep on a-lovin’ me, daddy, Cause I don’t want to be blue.

What can a young woman do when love is lost? Keep loving me, daddy, because I don't want to be sad.

_The speaker concludes that love is the only remedy against despair._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_15_se/chapters/young-gal-s-blues
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_15_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_15_se/chapters