Eyesight To The Blind (The Hawker) [Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival 1970]

Song Meaning

This track paints a picture of a woman whose romantic prowess is so profound it borders on the miraculous. The narrator boasts about her, directly contrasting her abilities with whatever the listener might be experiencing. It’s a bold, almost boastful declaration of her unique power to transform and awaken. The central tension lies in the narrator's fervent praise versus the almost unbelievable claims made about the woman. She's not just good; she's a divine intervention. The lyrics repeatedly emphasize her ability to bestow sensory gifts – sight, speech, hearing – upon those who are lacking, framing her lovemaking as a literal, miraculous cure. The repeated phrase "I wish you could see mine" acts as a defiant challenge, a way to one-up any bragging from the listener. The imagery of her "shakin'" causing the "dumb begin to talk" and her "word from her lips" making the "deaf begin to hear" elevates her actions beyond the physical, suggesting a spiritual or supernatural dimension to her influence. Ultimately, the effectiveness of these lyrics comes from their sheer audacity and the vivid, almost mythic descriptions of the woman's power. The narrator’s unwavering conviction, coupled with these extraordinary claims, creates a compelling, larger-than-life portrait of a lover whose touch is a form of divine intervention.