My Eyes Are Dim

DESCRIPTION: Humorous song about lining out hymns. The preacher speaks a line (i.e. "My eyes are dim; I cannot see; I left my specs at home") and singers repeat it. He says "I did not mean for you to sing." They sing the line back. Finally he says, "Doxology...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1964 (NorthCarolinaFolkloreJournal)
KEYWORDS: humorous clergy nonballad
FOUND IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Grimes-StoriesFromTheAnneGrimesCollection, p. 23, "My Eyes Are Dim" (1 text); p. 139, "My Eyes Are Dim" (1 text)
NorthCarolinaFolkloreJournal, (no author listed), "My Eyes Are Dim -- I Cannot See," Vol. XII, No. 2 (Dec. 1964), p. 29, "My Eyes Are Dim" (1 text)
ADDITIONAL: _Sing Out_ magazine, Volume 26, #45 (1978), p, 3, in the article "No Fiddle in My Home" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #10508?
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Quartermaster Corps (The Quartermaster Store)" ("My eyes are dim" lyric, although the context is completely different)
NOTES [45 words]: Hedy West, who wrote the Sing Out! article cited above, said that Don Yoder printed this in Pennsylvania Spirituals from sources in 1849 to 1854. I can't verify this, but it would appear to be the earliest date if correct.
Thanks to Carter C. for this information. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.1
File: Grim023

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