Alone, all alone
Nobody, but nobody
Can make it out here alone.
This stanza is repeated three times throughout the poem and also serves as the concluding stanza. The speaker has had a sobering revelation: It is impossible to survive in this world on one’s own. In the first line, the speaker laments her personal situation and repeats the word “alone” to emphasize her isolation. The second and third lines shift from self-reflection to affirmation. In these lines, the speaker moves beyond her personal experience and states that her isolation and pain can happen to anybody. She insists that nobody can “make it”—or survive—“out here.” The meaning of “here” is ambiguous, as it can represent a specific geographical location or may refer to the world as a whole. One could argue that the speaker lives in a place where she feels oppressed, but the later references to the suffering of the human race suggest that the speaker may be referring to the oppression and pain experienced throughout the world. The speaker demonstrates a strong conviction in her beliefs by repeating this message to the listener.
They’ve got expensive doctors
To cure their hearts of stone.
In the third stanza, the speaker suggests that money cannot buy health or happiness. Wealth makes people restless and bored, leading to sadness and isolation. Millionaires might believe that their wealth will fulfill them, but their hearts are still made of “stone.” They essentially try to buy their happiness by visiting expensive doctors who might cure them of their loneliness. The doctors may be therapists, as the speaker suggests emotional rather than physical ailments. However, the speaker implies that these wealthy people are beyond help—at least this kind of help. These people are impervious to joy, as their excessive lifestyle has led to loneliness and perhaps even indifference. Their hearts—the core of human emotion—cannot be cured by a technician. They are incapable of feeling any real emotion without genuine connection to others, the kind that money can't buy.
The race of man is suffering
And I can hear the moan...
In the fifth stanza, the speaker moves beyond her personal pain and refers to the collective suffering of the human race. She feels that her affliction is not just a personal one but rather a sign of trouble with humanity as a whole. She may be referring to the issues that were troubling society when this poem was written. 1970s America was plagued by war, racial tensions, sexism, and other societal issues. Humanity is moaning, or crying out for help. The speaker suggests that coming together will help individuals overcome their isolation and pain and live in a peaceful and happier world.
