The song could certainly be about gay men, but it could just as easily refer to straight men, who also spend their time waiting sadly in bars.
Sing a song of sad young men, glasses full of rye
All the news is bad again, kiss your dreams goodbye
All the sad young men, sitting in the bars
Knowing neon nights, and missing all the stars
The line later on
Tired little girl, does the best she can
Trying to be gay, for a sad young man
probably means gay, as in cheerful, because if the sad young man is gay he is unlikely to be interested in a girl "trying to be gay".
The song leaves the question unanswered, with some ambiguity, and in doing so appeals to a wider audience.
Since woeful means sad, and ballad means a narrative poem or song, it would be a sad poem or song.
It's about the young men that lived in Greenwish Village and North Beach that we today call "Beatniks." Written by Fran Landesman for the 1959 play, "The Nervous Set," it is about the men that sit in coffee houses and bars, and bemoan the state of the world while wearing black and playing bongos.
All the Sad Young Literary Men was created in 2008.
The Ballad of the Sad Café - film - was created in 1991.
Country Sad Ballad Man was created in 1997.
The duration of The Ballad of the Sad Café - film - is 1.67 hours.
It can be, but they are usually about, legends.
A ballad is a narrative poem or song that tells a story, often about love or tragedy, and typically has a repetitive structure. An elegy is a poem or song that laments the loss of someone or something, often with a melancholic tone.
A woeful ballad typically refers to a sad or sorrowful song or poem that tells a story of tragedy or loss. It often conveys a sense of pain, grief, or melancholy in its lyrics or themes.
The speaker imagines the woman to be singing about an old sad ballad about battles, or a less noble song about the sorrows human beings feel.
it means that whoever wrote this song is sad and lonely and needs somebody to love.
A young woman who is mature would know the answer to why a young man would want to see her happy when she is sad; afraid and vulnerable and dedicate a song to her. It is obvious the young man loves her. She's one lucky young woman.