She was born Laura Nigro on 18th October 1947 in the Bronx, New York, of Italian-American and Jewish-American parents. As a child, she taught herself piano, read poetry, and listened to her mother's records by Leontyne Price, Billie Holiday and classical composers such as Ravel and Debussy. She composed her first songs at age eight. While in high school, she sang with a group of friends in subway stations and on street corners.
As a teenager she experimented with using different names, and Nyro was the one she was using at the time. She sold her song "And When I Die" to Peter, Paul and Mary for $5,000, and made her first extended professional appearance in 1966, at age 18, singing at the "hungry i" coffeehouse in San Francisco. Mogull negotiated her a recording contract, and she recorded her debut album, More Than a New Discovery, for the Verve Folkways label. The album provided material for other artists, notably the 5th Dimension.
In 1967, Nyro made only her second major live appearance, at the Monterey Pop Festival. Although some accounts described her performance as a fiasco that culminated in her being booed off the stage,[8] recordings later made public contradict this view.[
Nyro was best known by the general public – and had the most commercial success – as a songwriter rather than a performer. Her best-known songs include "And When I Die" (made a hit by Blood, Sweat & Tears), "Stoney End" (covered by Barbra Streisand), "Wedding Bell Blues", "Stoned Soul Picnic", "Sweet Blindness", "Save the Country" (all covered by The 5th Dimension), and "Eli's Coming" (a hit for Three Dog Night). Ironically, Nyro's own best-selling single was "Up on the Roof", a cover of the Carole King-Gerry Goffin hit originally recorded by The Drifters in 1962.
She died on 8th April 1997.
In 2012 she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Sweet Blindness
Laura Nyro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
drink my dady's wine
get happy
down by the grapevine
drink my daddy's wine
get happy
happy
oh sweet blindness
a little kindness
oh sweet blindness
all over me
four leaves on a clover
I'm just a bit of a shade hung over
come on baby do a slow float
you're a good lookin' riverboat
and aint that sweet-eyed blindness good to me
down by the grapevine
drink my dady's wine
good mornin
down by the grapevine
drink my daddy's wine
good mornin
Mornin!
oh sweet blindness
a little magic
a little kindness
oh sweet blindness
all over me
please don't tell my mother
I'm a saloon and a moonshine lover
come on baby do a slow float
you're a good lookin riverboat
and ain't that sweet eyed blindness good to me
(don't ask me cause I)
ain't gonna tell you what I've been drinkin'
ain't gonna tell you what I've been drinkin'
ain't gonna tell you what I've been drinkin'
wine
of wonder
Wonder!
(by the way)
sweet blindness
a little magic
a little kindness
oh sweet blindness
all over me
don't let daddy hear it
he don't believe in the gin mill spirit
come on baby do a slow float
you a good lookin' riverboat
and ain't that sweet eyed blindness good to me
good to me
now ain't that sweet eyed blindness good to me
The lyrics to Laura Nyro's "Sweet Blindness" describe a carefree and somewhat rebellious mood as the singer drinks her father's wine and enjoys a lazy day down by the grapevine. The repeated refrain of "sweet blindness" speaks to both the pleasure of letting go and losing oneself in the moment, as well as a sense of gratitude for the magic and kindness in life.
The imagery of the four leaves on a clover and the reference to being "a bit of a shade hung over" suggest a slightly disoriented state, but it's a state that the singer finds enjoyable and freeing. The admonition to "please don't tell my mother" reveals a sense of playfulness and a desire to maintain the freedom that drinking brings. Meanwhile, the bridge that exhorts the listener not to judge the singer for her alcohol consumption is a reminder that life is short and we should enjoy the good things while we can.
Overall, "Sweet Blindness" is a celebration of the joys of life and the pleasures of living in the moment. It encourages us to embrace our desires and to savor the little joys that make life worth living.
Line by Line Meaning
let's go down by the grapevine
Let's head down to the grapevine.
drink my dady's wine
Let's drink the wine my dad made.
get happy
We'll feel good after we drink the wine.
down by the grapevine
We're going to the grapevine.
drink my daddy's wine
We're going to drink my dad's wine.
happy
We're going to be happy.
oh sweet blindness
The effect of the wine is like a sweet blindness that makes everything feel good.
a little magic
The wine has a magical effect on us.
a little kindness
The wine makes us feel good and kind toward others.
oh sweet blindness
The wine is like a sweet blindness that we can't resist.
all over me
The effect of the wine is all around us.
four leaves on a clover
We're feeling lucky after drinking the wine.
I'm just a bit of a shade hung over
We're feeling slightly hungover but still good from the previous night's wine.
come on baby do a slow float
Let's enjoy this moment and take it slow.
you're a good lookin' riverboat
You're looking good today, just like a riverboat.
and aint that sweet-eyed blindness good to me
We can't resist the sweet effect of the wine.
down by the grapevine
We're still enjoying the grapevine and the wine.
drink my dady's wine
We're still drinking my dad's wine.
good mornin
It's a good morning.
down by the grapevine
We're still at the grapevine.
drink my daddy's wine
We're still enjoying my dad's wine.
good mornin
It's still a good morning.
oh sweet blindness
The wine is still having a sweet effect on us.
a little magic
The wine is still having a magical effect on us.
a little kindness
The wine is still making us feel good and kind.
oh sweet blindness
The wine is still like a sweet blindness that we can't resist.
all over me
The effect of the wine is still all around us.
please don't tell my mother
Let's keep this between us and not tell my mom.
I'm a saloon and a moonshine lover
I love hanging out at saloons and drinking moonshine.
don't ask me cause I
I can't explain why I love drinking so much.
ain't gonna tell you what I've been drinkin'
I won't tell you what kind of drinks I've had.
wine
But I can tell you that wine is involved.
of wonder
It's a wine that fills me with wonder and excitement.
Wonder!
I really can't explain how amazing this wine is.
sweet blindness
The wine is still like a sweet blindness that makes everything feel good.
a little magic
The wine is still having a magical effect on us.
a little kindness
The wine is still making us feel good and kind.
oh sweet blindness
The wine is still irresistible.
all over me
The effect of the wine is still all around us.
don't let daddy hear it
Let's make sure my dad doesn't find out about us drinking.
he don't believe in the gin mill spirit
My dad doesn't approve of drinking and hanging out at the bar.
you a good lookin' riverboat
You're still looking good, like a riverboat.
and ain't that sweet eyed blindness good to me
We're still under the spell of the wine and loving it.
good to me
The wine is still good to us.
now ain't that sweet eyed blindness good to me
We're still loving the sweet effect of the wine.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: LAURA NYRO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tommaso Guarducci
let's go down by the grapevine
drink my dady's wine
get happy
down by the grapevine
drink my daddy's wine
get happy
happy
oh sweet blindness
a little magic
a little kindness
oh sweet blindness
all over me
four leaves on a clover
I'm just a bit of a shade hung over
come on baby do a slow float
you're a good lookin' riverboat
and aint that sweet-eyed blindness good to me
down by the grapevine
drink my dady's wine
good mornin
down by the grapevine
drink my daddy's wine
good mornin
Mornin!
oh sweet blindness
a little magic
a little kindness
oh sweet blindness
all over me
please don't tell my mother
I'm a saloon and a moonshine lover
come on baby do a slow float
you're a good lookin riverboat
and ain't that sweet eyed blindness good to me
(don't ask me cause I)
ain't gonna tell you what I've been drinkin'
ain't gonna tell you what I've been drinkin'
ain't gonna tell you what I've been drinkin'
wine
of wonder
Wonder!
(by the way)
sweet blindness
a little magic
a little kindness
oh sweet blindness
all over me
don't let daddy hear it
he don't believe in the gin mill spirit
come on baby do a slow float
you a good lookin' riverboat
and ain't that sweet eyed blindness good to me
good to me
now ain't that sweet eyed blindness good to me
lupco kotevski
I only discovered her this week. I'm already obsessed and in love. The brilliant complexity of her songs, the beautiful melodies, and her soulful, joyous, gorgeous voice/singing is casting me in a state of weepy rapture, and longing that she was still with us. My now ex-favourite music like Hendrix, Doors, Beatles, Zeppelin, etc is starting to sound mediocre compared to Laura. Imagine Laura and Burt Bacharach co-writing: it would be melody magic.
Larry Piltz
Me too!!! In 1971!!! Time only makes her joy more beautiful and powerful, especially because there's still has been no one like her or more infinitely rewarding to bond musically with or especially heartwise. An overwhelming love is what she gives to us!
L
@Norman Baratelli ♥️
L
@H.M. Yessssss! My fave
Joanne C Alvarez
I feel blessed I discovered Laura Nyro when I was 13. She and LaBelle helped me get thru those teen years and the rest of my life. Before hearing Laura, I was like the rose in Spanish Harlem, although my home was in the northeast end of the San Fernando Valley in L.A., CA. I am now 65 years old and have enjoyed the most wonderful life now here in New Mexico. Laura has never left my side. She’s been with me this whole journey. What a beautiful legacy she has left us! Still listening to and loving Laura Nyro!
Norman Baratelli
@H.M. Right!? There may be one analog to Laura and if so it just very well could be Todd. I mean, he was so great so young. He is a musical genius probably and has been involved in more projects than most realize. Todd has that same disinterest in doing it "the right way", instead, doing it his way. Forget Clapton, "Todd is god" works perfectly well for me!
pop gun
Makes my head spin. All those tempo shifts and chord changes, all in two and a half minutes! Like a prog-rock Supremes or Shirelles. Brilliant.
Mike Griffin
@Frederick Glasser Agreed, there are a lot of good covers out there of Laura’s songs, but none can compare to the original.
Frederick Glasser
@Mike Griffin but still the best version is Laura's. Same goes for El'is Coming, And When I Die, and especially Wedding Bell Blues
Mike Griffin
@Frederick Glasser Thanks for the details, I knew I had heard a Diana Ross version somewhere, and in addition to Streisand, there is a Linda Ronstadt cover and Peggy Lipton (of the Mod Squad) also and others I’m sure.