Blind Man- Spiritual- Lomax 1934

Blin' Man Stood On De Way An' He Cried
Spiritual- Collected Lomax- 1934

Blind Man Lay Beside the Way/De Blin' Man/Bible's Right, The/Blind Man Stood on the Way and Cried

Tradtional Old-Time, Spiritual;

ARTIST: from Lomax, 1934, "American Ballads And Folk Songs"

Josh White: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hnuJZt7Mvk&feature=related

White Spiritual: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma5nbBvUCXc

Spiritual arr. H. T. Burleigh: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGySzjrMCJc

Contemporary version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3xPA6Vj6cA

CATEGORY: Traditional and Public Domain Bluegrass Gospel;

DATE: 1800s; 1909 Howard W. Odum, "Religious Folk-Songs of the Southern Negroes" (American Journal of Psychology and Education, vol. iii, p. 356).


RECORDING INFO:  Blind Man Stood on the Way and Cried

Lomax, J. A. & A. Lomax / American Ballads and Folk Songs, MacMillan, Bk (1934), p596 [1920s]
Sandburg, Carl (ed.) / American Songbag, Harcourt, Sof (1955/1928), p452 (Blind Man Lay Beside the Way)
Lomax, Alan / Folksongs of North America, Doubleday Dolphin, Sof (1975/1960), p473/#245 [1930s] (Blind Man)
Hurt, Mississippi John. D.C. Blues, Vol 2. Library of Congress Rec...,, Fuel 302 061 495 2, CD (2003), trk# 1.15 [1963/07] (Blind Man Sit in the Way and Cried)


OTHER NAMES: “The Blind Man,” "Blind Man Lay Beside the Way," "Blind Man Stood on the Way and Cried" 

SOURCES: from Journal of American folklore, Volume 27 By American Folklore Society 1914.

NOTES: “The Blind Man,” or "Blind Man Stood on the Way and Cried" is a well known African-American spiritual. This version is from the Journal of American folklore, Volume 27 By American Folklore Society 1914.

The song has more recently become a campfire song and is used as a praise song in contemporary services with a slightly different form. Most contemporary versions use the repeated chord progression: Em D C B7 or Am G F E7.


Blind Man

 Am        G           F           E7
Blindman stood by the road and he cried
 Am        G           F           E7
Blindman stood by the road and he cried
 Am        G           F           E7
Blindman stood by the road and he cried
           E7
He cried, whoa!
 E7          Am  G  F
Show me the way,
 E7          Am  G  F
Show me the way,
 E7          Am  G  F
Show me the way,    
               E7
The way to go home.

THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF RELIGIOUS PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION p. 356; Volume 3 JULY, 1909. No. 8; Religious Folk-Songs of the Southern Negroes by Howard Odum; Fellow in Psychology, Clark University.

BLIND MAN- Again in "The Blind Man" the picture is one of confusing the scriptural scenes with those of the present, and of placing himself in the stead of the central character of the story.

Well the blind man stood by the grave and cried,
Well the blind man stood by the grave and cried,
Yes, the blind man stood by the wave and cried.
He cried, "O Lord, don't you hear po' me?"
Hark, the blind man stood by the wave and cried,
He cried, "O Lord, don't you hear po' me?

"Brother don't you hear the blind cries, blind cries?
Brother don't you hear the blind cries, blind cries?
O brother, don't you hear the blind cries?

Jesus he give de blind man sight, blind man sight,
Jesus he give de blind man sight, blind man sight,
Yes, Jesus he give de blind man sight.

He also sings "sister, don't you hear," etc., brother, father, preacher.

BLIN' MAN STOOD ON DE WAY AN' CRIED- Lomax 1934, who says it is from south and east Texas.

http://books.google.com/books?id=Dn0cSe2ecuoC&pg=PA596&lpg=PR24&vq=blin%27+man&dq=lomax+American+ballads&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html

Blin' man stood on de way an' cried,
Blin' man stood on de way an' cried,
Cryin', "O Lawd, show me de way."
Blin' man stood on de way an' cried.

Cryin', "Help me O Lawd, if you please,"
Cryin', "Help me O Lawd, if you please,"
Cryin', "O Lawd, show me the way."
Blin' man stood on the way an' cried.

When I was a sinner I stood on de way an' cried,
When I was a sinner I stood on de way an' cried,
Cryin', "O Lawd, show me de way."
Blin' man stood on the way an' cried.