"to give a bloody for someone"? what does that mean?

Question

There is a song:

Fare Three Well (Dink's Song) performed by Marcus Mumford & Oscar Isaac for the movie ''Inside Llewyn Davis'' (...)

If I had wings like Noah's dove
I'd fly the river to the one that I love
Fare three well, my honey fare three well

I had a man, who was long and tall
He moved his body like a cannon ball
Fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well

I remember one evening in the pouring rain
And in my heart there was an aching pain
Fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well

Muddy river runs muddy and wild
You can't give a bloody for my unborn child
Fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well

Just as sure as the birds flying high above
Life ain't worth living without the one you love
Fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well

Fare thee well, my honey, fare thee well

I don't understand the part:

"You can't give a bloody for my unborn child" - what does that mean? I couldn't find anything about such an expression in internet dictionaries.

Answer 1

"Bloody" is a curse word in Britain. It's normally an adjective ('He is a bloody idiot') but seems to be being used as a noun here.

There are some possible ways it could be interpreted. As Hellion suggests, they may have left out a word, with the full version being "bloody damn" or something else. Or alternatively (since "bloody" is a fairly mild curseword) it may be replacing a stronger word such as "You can't give a s***..." or "You can't give a f***...". Alternatively, or as well, scansion may have dictated a substitution.

I don't know who actually wrote the lyrics above (the original lyrics of the song don't contain that line). If it was written for the movie then audience sensibilities may have dictated the line. The song was recorded by different artists, many long enough ago that putting in a stronger curseword would have been out of the question.

The original lyrics certainly are such that "You can't give a **** for my unborn child" would have fitted well in. They are less direct but the intention is clearly the same.