---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When my bed is empty, Makes me feel awful…"
description: "\"When my bed is empty, Makes me feel awful mean and blue. My springs are getting rusty, Living single like I do.\" — Bessie Smith"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/bessie-smith-39742_awful_when-my-bed-is-empty-makes-me-feel-awful_2420719.png"
---

#  When my bed is empty, Makes me feel awful mean and blue…

![“When my bed is empty, Makes me feel awful mean and blue. My springs are getting rusty, Living single like I do.” quote by Bessie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/bessie-smith-39742_awful_when-my-bed-is-empty-makes-me-feel-awful_2420719.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/bessie-smith-39742_awful_when-my-bed-is-empty-makes-me-feel-awful_2420719.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/bessie-smith-39742_awful_when-my-bed-is-empty-makes-me-feel-awful_2420719.png)

> “When my bed is empty, Makes me feel awful mean and blue. My springs are getting rusty, Living single like I do.”

[Bessie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bessie-smith/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Loneliness and neglect cause emotional distress, likened to a rusty, unused bed.

**In simple terms:** Loneliness feels painful.

Key Takeaway

Address emotional needs and seek connection.

Themes

loneliness neglect emotional health

Mood

melancholic introspective

Type

poetic musical

When to use this quote

- relationship counseling
- mental health support
- self-care
- social outreach

Key Concepts

metaphor music therapy

Questions to Reflect On

- What does your “empty bed” symbolize?
- How can you restore emotional warmth?

A Different Perspective

A bed may be empty, but connection can fill the void.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blue/) [Emptiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emptiness/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spring/)

## Related quotes

> [We need to work to keep from getting rusty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-stone/we-need-to-work-to-keep-from-getting-rusty/)

[Jesse Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-stone/)

> [I don't say anything and I feel awful. I tell somebody and I feel worse. I'm having trouble finding a middle ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-don-t-say-anything-and-i-feel-awful-i-tell-somebody-and-i-feel/)

[Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/)

> [I feel awful. I am a terrible person. what I just did was wrong and inconsiderate. I wish…i don't know what I wish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-crosby/i-feel-awful-i-am-a-terrible-person-what-i-just-did-was-wrong-and/)

[Cassandra Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-crosby/)

> [If the costumes are wrong, you feel awful in them and it lessens your acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-chen/if-the-costumes-are-wrong-you-feel-awful-in-them-and-it-lessens-your/)

[Joan Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-chen/)

> [I hate watching me. I hate watching me. It just makes me feel awful. I think, 'I look stupid from that angle. I wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/i-hate-watching-me-i-hate-watching-me-it-just-makes-me-feel-awful-i/)

[Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/)

> [If I had a partner who asked when I was going to the gym or commented that I was eating too much or asked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-lancaster/if-i-had-a-partner-who-asked-when-i-was-going-to-the-gym-or-commented/)

[Penny Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-lancaster/)

> [Meditation has changed so many aspects of my health that when I don't do it, I feel awful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-behrs/meditation-has-changed-so-many-aspects-of-my-health-that-when-i-don-t/)

[Beth Behrs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-behrs/)

> [Very depressed today. Unable to write a thing. Menacing gods. I feel outcast on a cold star, unable to feel anything but an awful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/very-depressed-today-unable-to-write-a-thing-menacing-gods-i-feel/)

[Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/)

> [I am definitely allergic to wheat. Every time I eat it, I feel awful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-enninful/i-am-definitely-allergic-to-wheat-every-time-i-eat-it-i-feel-awful/)

[Edward Enninful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-enninful/)

> [Sometimes you feel fine. You might have a day when you feel awful about what's going to happen in the game. It ebbs and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stokes/sometimes-you-feel-fine-you-might-have-a-day-when-you-feel-awful/)

[Ben Stokes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stokes/)

> [I feel awful for women who are trying to raise kids on their own, with zero income and no fathers present - that's single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natascha-mcelhone/i-feel-awful-for-women-who-are-trying-to-raise-kids-on-their-own-with/)

[Natascha McElhone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natascha-mcelhone/)

> [I go to the British Comedy Awards and, you know, quite a few people were making jokes at my expense. It just made me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mcintyre/i-go-to-the-british-comedy-awards-and-you-know-quite-a-few-people/)

[Michael McIntyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mcintyre/)

> [Do you often find yourself play out possible negative outcomes in your mind until you feel awful about it? This is a way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/do-you-often-find-yourself-play-out-possible-negative-outcomes-in/)

[DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/)

> [You know their a bad friend when they know how you feel and then say something to make you feel awful :(](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author-name/you-know-their-a-bad-friend-when-they-know-how-you-feel-and-then-say/)

Author Name

> [While anti-depressants can work for some people, I became a little too reliant on them - if you forget to take one, you feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-flack/while-anti-depressants-can-work-for-some-people-i-became-a-little-too/)

[Caroline Flack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-flack/)

## More by Bessie Smith

> [I don't want no drummer. I set the tempo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bessie-smith/i-don-t-want-no-drummer-i-set-the-tempo/)

[Bessie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bessie-smith/)

> [The Greatest Blues Singer in the World Will Never Stop Singing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bessie-smith/the-greatest-blues-singer-in-the-world-will-never-stop-singing/)

[Bessie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bessie-smith/)

> [Listen to my story and everything will come out true](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bessie-smith/listen-to-my-story-and-everything-will-come-out-true/)

[Bessie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bessie-smith/)

> [I need a little sugar in my bowl and a little hot dog in my roll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bessie-smith/i-need-a-little-sugar-in-my-bowl-and-a-little-hot-dog-in-my-roll/)

[Bessie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bessie-smith/)

> [No time to marry, no time to settle down; I'm a young woman, and I ain't done runnin' around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bessie-smith/no-time-to-marry-no-time-to-settle-down-i-m-a-young-woman-and-i-ain-t/)

[Bessie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bessie-smith/)

> [I've been poor and I've been rich, and rich is better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bessie-smith/i-ve-been-poor-and-i-ve-been-rich-and-rich-is-better/)

[Bessie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bessie-smith/)

> [It's a long old road, but I know I'm gonna find the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bessie-smith/it-s-a-long-old-road-but-i-know-i-m-gonna-find-the-end/)

[Bessie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bessie-smith/)

> [I ain't good-lookin', but I'm somebody's angel child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bessie-smith/i-ain-t-good-lookin-but-i-m-somebody-s-angel-child/)

[Bessie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bessie-smith/)

> [“You been a good old wagon but Daddy you gone done broke down”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bessie-smith/you-been-a-good-old-wagon-but-daddy-you-gone-done-broke-down/)

[Bessie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bessie-smith/)

> [There's nineteen men livin' in my neighborhood, Eighteen of them are fools and the one ain't no doggone good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bessie-smith/there-s-nineteen-men-livin-in-my-neighborhood-eighteen-of-them-are/)

[Bessie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bessie-smith/)

[Explore all 11 Bessie Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bessie-smith/)

## More Awful quotes

> [It must be that I am dreaming, and that I shall awaken in a moment to see that awful knife descending toward my heart-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/it-must-be-that-i-am-dreaming-and-that-i-shall-awaken-in-a-moment-to/)

[Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/)

> [I spent two years in Palo Alto - what an awful, suffocating place for those of us who don't care about yoga, yogurts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/i-spent-two-years-in-palo-alto-what-an-awful-suffocating-place-for/)

[Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/)

> [Layla brought her arms around herself, no doubt because she was remembering the feel of another, stronger set. "I have wanted to, but he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/layla-brought-her-arms-around-herself-no-doubt-because-she-was/)

[J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/)

> [You've seen the first issue and what happened in the last page. Some pretty awful stuff. I don't know why I seem to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declan-shalvey/you-ve-seen-the-first-issue-and-what-happened-in-the-last-page-some/)

[Declan Shalvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/declan-shalvey/)

> [It is not like studying German, where you mull along, in a groping, uncertain way, for thirty years; and at last, just as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/it-is-not-like-studying-german-where-you-mull-along-in-a-groping/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [There was a special challenge in describing the awful childhood of a person who happens to be my own husband. It was very painful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-stephenson/there-was-a-special-challenge-in-describing-the-awful-childhood-of-a/)

[Pamela Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-stephenson/)

> [On balance the moral influence of religion has been awful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-weinberg/on-balance-the-moral-influence-of-religion-has-been-awful/)

[Steven Weinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-weinberg/)

> [When you finish a poem, it clicks shut like the top of a jewel box, but prose is endless. I haven't experienced an awful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-koch/when-you-finish-a-poem-it-clicks-shut-like-the-top-of-a-jewel-box-but/)

[Kenneth Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-koch/)

> [Fascism: awful stench of saw and axe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-leiris/fascism-awful-stench-of-saw-and-axe/)

[Michel Leiris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-leiris/)

> [No one with a bad tie is getting my vote. Some Lib Dems wear the most shockingly awful ties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freddie-fox/no-one-with-a-bad-tie-is-getting-my-vote-some-lib-dems-wear-the-most/)

[Freddie Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freddie-fox/)

> [“Here she was back in the brightly lit world she had been avoiding for twenty years, and it was exactly as awful as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-charles-wilson/here-she-was-back-in-the-brightly-lit-world-she-had-been-avoiding-for/)

[Robert Charles Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-charles-wilson/)

> [I'm pretty indiscriminating, and I have awful taste, generally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nellie-mckay/i-m-pretty-indiscriminating-and-i-have-awful-taste-generally/)

[Nellie McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nellie-mckay/)

> [The blessed Religion revealed in the word of God will remain an eternal and awful monument to prove that the best Institution may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-blessed-religion-revealed-in-the-word-of-god-will-remain-an/)

[George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/)

> [“I am awful. I am heartless. I am scared that these things are actually true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-am-awful-i-am-heartless-i-am-scared-that-these-things-are-actually/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Democracy is an awful way to run a country, but it's the best system we have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/democracy-is-an-awful-way-to-run-a-country-but-it-s-the-best-system/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

Browse all 1,826 Awful quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "When my bed is empty, Makes me feel awful mean and blue. My springs are getting rusty, Living single like I do.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bessie Smith"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bessie-smith/when-my-bed-is-empty-makes-me-feel-awful-mean-and-blue-my-springs-are/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Awful"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bessie-smith/when-my-bed-is-empty-makes-me-feel-awful-mean-and-blue-my-springs-are/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/bessie-smith-39742_awful_when-my-bed-is-empty-makes-me-feel-awful_2420719.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/bessie-smith-39742_awful_when-my-bed-is-empty-makes-me-feel-awful_2420719.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa6/bessie-smith-39742_awful_when-my-bed-is-empty-makes-me-feel-awful_2420719.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When my bed is empty, Makes me feel awful mean and blue. My springs are getting rusty, Living single like I…” — Bessie Smith",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Bessie Smith",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bessie-smith/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "When my bed is empty, Makes...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bessie-smith/when-my-bed-is-empty-makes-me-feel-awful-mean-and-blue-my-springs-are/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bessie-smith/when-my-bed-is-empty-makes-me-feel-awful-mean-and-blue-my-springs-are/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
