A Friend of Mine Is Going Blind

A friend of mine is going blind but through the dimness
He sees so much better than me
And how he cherishes each new thing that he sees
They are locked in his head
He will save them for when he’s in darkness again

He can’t read books and he can’t paint pretty pictures
But he understands so much clearer than I
For he knows that all he’s missing with his eyes
Is more vivid in the mind of the man who’s going blind
And that’s why he doesn’t mind

Won’t you sing, Tommy Davidson, of things that you have seen
Sing of winter’s bite and summer nights and places you have been
Of dewdrops and forget-me-nots, the silver silky sheen
Lain across the morning meadow on the hillside

This friend of mine, he plays guitar and he sings his song so well
And he sings so much better than I
He can sing you any pictures in your mind
He will sketch them out in rhyme, draw the details in the lines
And he’ll color it in time

And oh how he loves his guitar and it loves him
And they play so much sweeter than me
As if to say that come the day when he can’t see
He will have at his command so much beauty in his hands
That the loss won’t come so hard

Won’t you sing, Tommy Davidson, of things that you have done
Sing of silver seagulls sailing into evening’s golden sun
Sing of city streets and villages and people on the run
Tell the people how you know it, Tommy Davidson

A friend of mine is going blind but through the dimness
He sees so much better than me
And how he cherishes each new thing that he sees
They are locked in his head
He will save them for when he’s in darkness again