My Eyes Are Opened

02 Nov My Eyes Are Opened

This amazing song from English songleader and composer Kirsty Martin is arranged for three voice parts, each with three of their own song sections, and all of them mix and match… making this a total delight to arrange spontaneously each time it’s sung. The harmonies are fabulous! The words are based upon the famous E.E. Cummings poem “i thank you god for most this amazing”, and inspired by that ever-interesting Saturn return phase of life.

Composer & Copyright

Original song by Kirsty Martin, used with permission, lyrics adapted from E.E. Cummings. ©Kirsty Martin. Please support the artist by visiting her website and purchasing song use rights before performing or recording.

Recording

Lyrics

Part I:
Bup bup bup…

Part II:
Low: Dum-ba (x23), dum-ba-deh
Middle: Whoa
High: Ah

Part III:
Now the ears of my ears awake and right now the eyes of my eyes are opened

Teaching Notes

This song came to my awareness through the utter amazement of Denis Donnely, Britta Gudmunson, Laurence Cole and others who received it from Annie Zylstra’s wordless teaching of it during the 2017 CCLT training. Inspired by Annie’s recording and her now legendary share, I first taught this to my choir without speaking a word – only indicating voice sections with my hands and holding up fingers to indicate song sections. The chorus picked it up within 10 minutes and it is now a favorite. Any of the song sections in each voice part work with the any song sections in the other voices, so it gives the director a lot of freedom to spontaneously craft the song. I would categorize this as an advanced share for a new group or song circle, or an easy share for an established/ experienced group. The greatest consistent challenge in teaching this song is keeping the singers from speeding up the first song section… a nearly universal tendency.

Choir directors note: Kirsty Martin has another song called Yes that’s inspired by the same E.E. Cummings poem and is designed to be shared in partnership to this song.

Key: This recording is in the key of B flat minor, although we often begin the song a full step higher.