In Skip James’ song “Hard Times Killin’ Floor Blues”, the artist connects the weakened state of the USA with his haunting blues music. This connection allows the audience to better understand the mood in the country during the Great Depression through a fixed meter and a continuous rhyming scheme.
James’ emphasizes the state of affairs in the United States by alluding to the past. “Times are harder than ever before”, this shows that even with the blacks’ history of suffering, present conditions are far worse than before. James reinforces his point by highlighting how he has never been “this low” before. Throughout the history of African-Americans, the entire community has always been striving to be more respected, educated and successful, however, social bias and racial stereotypes have hindered such advances. When James states “You can’t find heaven”, this relates to how the dream of African-Americans reaching equality seems like a heavenly dream in the 1930s. The artist continues the feelings of loneliness and ‘depression’ when underscoring how the song he is singing is a ‘lonesome song’.
The music of the blues is ghostly and haunting, connecting with the mood of the lyrics. A ‘swinging’ feeling is given as similar chords are repeated throughout the song, relating to how the feelings of poverty, sadness are all too familiar with early 20th century blacks. James’ humming in the background corresponds to the running commentary that he is giving, giving the story he is illustrating a more natural feel. His music and diction expresses a lot about the plight of African-Americans, showing how the Depression has exacerbated their living conditions. James’ strong, emotional voice underscores the pain that blacks have gone through and how it is through the blues that such emotions can be expressed freely. When hearing this song, it places me in the rural south of America. The sun beats down on me and I can feel the sweat coursing down, understanding the pain and oppression that blacks felt, and still feel.