Although John Lee Williamson was a major blues star who had already released dozens of successful and widely influential records under the name Sonny Boy Williamson from 1937 onward, Aleck Miller would later claim to have been the first to use the name, and some blues scholars believe that Miller's assertion he was born in 1899 was a ruse to convince audiences he was old enough to have used the name before John Lee Williamson, who was born in 1914. Whatever the methodology, Miller became known as Sonny Boy Williamson.
Williamson had begun developing a following in Chicago beginning in 1953, when he appeared there as a member of Elmore James's band. In the 1960's he toured Europe during the height of the British blues craze, recording with The Yardbirds and The Animals. Accoring to the Led Zeppelin biography "Hammer of the Gods", while in England Sonny Boy set his hotel room on fire while trying to cook a rabbit in a coffee percolator.
Some of his hit songs include "Fattenin' Frogs for Snakes", "Don't Start Me To Talking" ,"Keep It To Yourself", "Your Funeral & My Trial", "Bye Bye Bird", "Nine Below Zero", "Help Me", and the infamous "Little Village", with dialogue deemed 'unsuitable for airplay' by Leonard Chess. His song "Eyesight To the Blind" was performed by The Who as a key song in their rock opera Tommy (the only song in that opus not written by a band member) and it was later covered on the Aerosmith album Honkin' on Bobo. His recording og "One Way Out" was reworked from the Elmore James original and became popularized by The Allman Brothers Band in the early 1970s.
Sonny Boy Williamson II has had a big influence on modern day blues and blues rock artists and other legendary artists, as is shown by the number of his songs that are still covered. In interviews given in the concert documentary film The Last Waltz, members of the rock & roll group The Band recount jamming with Miller prior to their initial fame as Bob Dylan's electric backing band, and making plans to hook up with Williamson as his backing band. Unfortunately, Williamson's death prevented any such plans from ever being fulfilled.
Eyesight To The Blind
Sonny Boy Williamson II Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mine
You're talking about your woman, I wish to God that you could see mine
Every time the little girl start to loving, she bring eyesight to the blind
Lord, her daddy must been a millionaire, 'cause I can tell by the way she
Walk
Her daddy must been a millionaire, because I can tell by the way she walk
Every time she start to loving, the deaf and dumb begin to talk
Man in the next room a-dying, stopped dying and lift up his head, and said,
"Lord, ain't she pretty, and the whole state know she fine!"
Every time she start to loving, she bring eyesight to the blind
(Spoken: All right and all right, now. Lay it on me, lay it on me, lay it
On me
Oh lordy, what a woman, what a woman! )
Yes, I declare she's pretty and the whole state knows she's fine
Man, I declare she's pretty, God knows I declare she's fine
Every time she starts to loving, whoo, she brings eyesight to the blind
(I've got to get out of here, now, let's go, let's go, let's go now)
The first verse of Sonny Boy Williamson's "Eyesight to the Blind" refers to the singer's own woman, who apparently has the power to cure blindness. He seems to be challenging the person he's singing to by saying that they should see his woman in action. The line "Every time the little girl start to loving, she bring eyesight to the blind" suggests that the woman's sexual prowess is so intense that it can overcome physical disabilities.
The second verse suggests that the woman's appearance is also exceptional. The singer implies that her father must have been a millionaire because of her confident and attractive walk. The line "the deaf and dumb begin to talk" is another nod to the woman's transformative abilities. It seems as though she has some kind of power to heal or to unify people.
The final verse reinforces the idea that the woman is popular and admired throughout the state. The man in the next room, who is dying, is temporarily revived by the sight of her. These lyrics suggest that the woman is both physically and emotionally compelling. The repeated refrain of "Every time she starts to loving, whoo, she brings eyesight to the blind" emphasizes her power and reinforces the idea that she possesses some kind of supernatural ability.
Line by Line Meaning
You've talking about your woman, I wish to God, man, that you could see
Mine
You are speaking about your woman, I hope that you could witness my woman's beauty
You're talking about your woman, I wish to God that you could see mine
Every time the little girl start to loving, she bring eyesight to the blind
You are talking about your woman, but every time my girl shows affection, she enlightens even the blind
Lord, her daddy must been a millionaire, 'cause I can tell by the way she
Walk
God knows her father must have been rich, as evident by the way she carries herself
Her daddy must been a millionaire, because I can tell by the way she walk
Every time she start to loving, the deaf and dumb begin to talk
Her father must have been wealthy as she has a confident gait, and when she shows love even those who cannot hear or speak notice
I remember one Friday morning, we was lying down across the bed
Man in the next room a-dying, stopped dying and lift up his head, and said,
"Lord, ain't she pretty, and the whole state know she fine!"
Every time she start to loving, she bring eyesight to the blind
One morning, while we lay together, a man in the adjacent room dying, stopped his suffering just to praise my lover's beauty. She has such a radiance that even the sightless can see with her loving touch.
(Spoken: All right and all right, now. Lay it on me, lay it on me, lay it
On me
Oh lordy, what a woman, what a woman! )
Expressions of joy and admiration for her continued to pour from the singer
Yes, I declare she's pretty and the whole state knows she's fine
Man, I declare she's pretty, God knows I declare she's fine
Every time she starts to loving, whoo, she brings eyesight to the blind
I swear she's pretty, and everyone hears my words but knows it's true. Her love brings light to those who are blind.
(I've got to get out of here, now, let's go, let's go, let's go now)
It's time to leave, the singer is ready to move on.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: WILLIE SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Forrest George
You've been talking about your woman, I wish to God, man, that you could see mine
You're talking about your woman, I wish to God that you could see mine
Every time the little girl start to loving, she bring eyesight to the blind
Lord, her daddy must been a millionaire, 'cause I can tell by the way she walk
Her daddy must been a millionaire, because I can tell by the way she walk
Every time she start to loving, the deaf and dumb begin to talk
I remember one Friday morning, we was lying down across the bed
Man in the next room a-dying, stopped dying and lift up his head, and said
"Lord, ain't she pretty, and the whole state know she fine!"
Every time she start to loving, she bring eyesight to the blind
(Spoken: All right and all right, now. Lay it on me, lay it on me, lay it
On me, Oh lordy, what a woman, what a woman! )
Yes, I declare she's pretty and the whole state knows she's fine
Man, I declare she's pretty, God knows I declare she's fine
Every time she starts to loving, whoo, she brings eyesight to the blind
(I've got to get out of here, now, let's go, let's go, let's go now)
Second Coming Of Bast
Pete changed it quite a bit.
You talk about your woman
I wish you could see mine,
You talk about your woman
I wish you could see mine,
Every time she starts to lovin'
She brings eyesight to the blind.
You know her daddy gave her magic
I can tell by the way she walks.
You know her daddy gave her magic
I can tell by the way she walks.
Everytime we start shakin'
The dumb begin to talk.
She's got the power to heal you never fear
She's got the power to heal you never fear
Just a word from her lips
And the deaf begin to hear.
Lucas Miguel
You've talking about your woman, I wish to God, man, that you could see
Mine
You're talking about your woman, I wish to God that you could see mine
Every time the little girl start to loving, she bring eyesight to the blind
Lord, her daddy must been a millionaire, 'cause I can tell by the way she
Walk
Her daddy must been a millionaire, because I can tell by the way she walk
Every time she start to loving, the deaf and dumb begin to talk
I remember one Friday morning, we was lying down across the bed
Man in the next room a-dying, stopped dying and lift up his head, and said,
"Lord, ain't she pretty, and the whole state know she fine!"
Every time she start to loving, she bring eyesight to the blind
(Spoken: All right and all right, now. Lay it on me, lay it on me, lay it
On me
Oh lordy, what a woman, what a woman! )
Yes, I declare she's pretty and the whole state knows she's fine
Man, I declare she's pretty, God knows I declare she's fine
Every time she starts to loving, whoo, she brings eyesight to the blind
(I've got to get out of here, now, let's go, let's go, let's go now)
Ann Naylor
I met this man once. His tour bus was broken down on a lonesome back road in Kansas. Daddy and I parked the truck and gave them a hand (that was back in the day when you could without being mugged!) they played this tune, and more, right there on the side of the road for me while I fixed the wiring underneath the bus's carriage. I was the only who could crawl under and reach it! They were so grateful, we stopped at a hole in the wall cafe' and we talked, laughed, sang and played for hours. One of the best days of my life!! 1965. I was 8 years old......
mrarkane
What an absolutely fabulous memory! A moment frozen in time. God bless you.
my pronouns are him, her, he, shim
Lucky, lucky you
Bubbatheking
WOW. 😊
nozecone
Wow - great story! What a wonderful experience for an 8-year-old - and what a wonderful memory for a ... well, a what wonderful memory! Sounds like they enjoyed the whole thing, too.
P. David Hornik
One of the best blues recordings ever. Perfectly played and sung, unusual power.
Forrest George
You've been talking about your woman, I wish to God, man, that you could see mine
You're talking about your woman, I wish to God that you could see mine
Every time the little girl start to loving, she bring eyesight to the blind
Lord, her daddy must been a millionaire, 'cause I can tell by the way she walk
Her daddy must been a millionaire, because I can tell by the way she walk
Every time she start to loving, the deaf and dumb begin to talk
I remember one Friday morning, we was lying down across the bed
Man in the next room a-dying, stopped dying and lift up his head, and said
"Lord, ain't she pretty, and the whole state know she fine!"
Every time she start to loving, she bring eyesight to the blind
(Spoken: All right and all right, now. Lay it on me, lay it on me, lay it
On me, Oh lordy, what a woman, what a woman! )
Yes, I declare she's pretty and the whole state knows she's fine
Man, I declare she's pretty, God knows I declare she's fine
Every time she starts to loving, whoo, she brings eyesight to the blind
(I've got to get out of here, now, let's go, let's go, let's go now)
Ben Cripps
This is not actually the sub standard version, but the best and most laid back version. Its all a matter of opinion, isn't it! I don't know why the uploader said 1951 in the title line, you need to know your SBW recording history a bit better (and just the development of the sound, and the arrangements and instrumentation, as the 1950s moved on through the decade). About 5 or 6 seconds listening to a blues should enable you to pin down the recording period to within a year or two. The classic backing musicians like Otis Spann and Robert Jr are so distinctive.
Sean Moore
Just thinking digitally out loud here
butt
How can you top this musical perfection?
P. David Hornik
At last someone uploaded this--better than the other version by him!