"I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes" is the title of a

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

song by A. P. Carter. A. P. Carter was a collector of old songs and lyrics. ''I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes'' is one of these old songs he discovered and it is said to be adapted from "

The Prisoner's Song "The Prisoner's Song" is a song copyrighted by Vernon Dalhart in 1924 in the name of Dalhart's cousin Guy Massey, who had sung it while staying at Dalhart's home and had in turn heard it from his brother Robert Massey, who may have heard it whi ...

" by Guy Massey. The song is a hillbilly folk song, the foundation of early

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

. The song became a hit in 1929. The song is a sad tale of a love that had been lost far across the sea, set to traditional English folk music.
Due to the song's popularity and historical importance, many have covered the song, including Bing Crosby (recorded January 18, 1942), Gene Autry,

Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American musician, actor, and author with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own rad ...

and

The Andrews Sisters The Andrews Sisters were an American close harmony singing group of the swing and boogie-woogie eras. The group consisted of three sisters: contralto LaVerne Sophia Andrews (July 6, 1911 – May 8, 1967), soprano Maxene Anglyn Andrews (January ...

. Some artists shorten the title to ''Broken Ties'' or ''Broken Vows'' or ''Broken Hearted Lovers''. In February 1939 on XET Station,

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Sara Carter Sara Elizabeth Carter (née Dougherty, later Bayes; July 21, 1898 – January 8, 1979) was an American country music musician, singer, and songwriter. Remembered mostly for her deep, distinctive, mature singing voice, she was the lead singer on ...

dedicated the song to her long lost boyfriend Coy Bays, who was in Washington State at the time. On February 20, 1939 Sara Carter and Coy Bayes married at

Brackettville, Texas Brackettville is a city in Kinney County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,688 at the 2010 census, down from 1,876 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Kinney County. History Founded in 1852 as "Las Moras" (the name of a nearb ...

Mother Maybelle "Mother" Maybelle Carter (born Maybelle Addington; May 10, 1909 – October 23, 1978) was an American country musician and "among the first" to use the Carter scratch, with which she "helped to turn the guitar into a lead instrument". It ...

used the Carter Family picking on the song, which was new at the time, the bass notes are played with her thumb and she strums with her other fingers. The song was later put on the Carter Family album: My Clinch Mountain Home: Their Complete Victor Recordings (1928–1929).

Ralph Stanley Ralph Edmund Stanley (February 25, 1927 – June 23, 2016) was an American bluegrass artist, known for his distinctive singing and banjo playing. Stanley began playing music in 1946, originally with his older brother Carter Stanley as part of ...

in 2006 recorded a complete album of Carter Family songs, including "I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes", titled '' A Distant Land to Roam: Songs of the Carter Family''.Sara Carter (1898–1979), Contributed by Kip Lornell and the Dictionary of Virginia Biography
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References

External links

Youtube The Carter Family, I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes
{{authority control American folk songs Carter Family songs Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients 1935 songs Songs written by A. P. Carter