My Eyes Have Seen is the third album by American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 folk singer

Folk music

Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

 Odetta

Odetta

Odetta Holmes, known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, songwriter, and a human rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire consisted largely of American folk music, blues, jazz, and spirituals...

, first released in 1959. After two small releases, Odetta had now moved to the larger, more folk and jazz oriented label Vanguard.

Milt Okun

Milt Okun

Milton "Milt" Okun is an American arranger and record producer and founder of Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc. Okun transformed the careers of a dozen or more major U.S. artists who under Okun's tutelage became some of the most successful musical acts of the 1950s, '60s, and '70s...

 arranged and conducted a choir on a portion of the songs, notably "Motherless Children", "Ox-Driver Song" and the title piece.

My Eyes Have Seen was re-released on CD in 1994.

Track listing

All songs Traditional unless otherwise noted.

1. "Poor Little Jesus" – 1:54
2. "Bald Headed Woman
   Bald Headed Woman
   "Bald Headed Woman" is a song written by Shel Talmy and released by The Kinks on their eponymous debut album in 1964 and The Who in 1965 as the b-side of I Can't Explain. It is claimed that Jimmy Page, as a session guitarist, played lead guitar on "Bald Headed Woman" on both The Kinks and The Who...
   
   " – 2:20
3. "Motherless Children" – 2:10
4. "I Know Where I'm Going
   I Know Where I'm Going (song)
   "I Know Where I'm Going" is a traditional Scottish or Irish ballad about a woman pining for her "bonnie" lover Johnny. It is Roud number 5701. It was recorded by Burl Ives on 31 March 1941 for his debut album Okeh Presents the Wayfaring Stranger...
   
   " – 2:00
5. "The Foggy Dew
   Foggy Dew
   -Foggy, Foggy Dew:The first song of this title was of English origin, sometimes called “Foggy, Foggy Dew”, and is a lamentful ballad of a young lover. It was published on a broadside around 1815, though there are very many versions: Cecil Sharp collected eight versions. Burl Ives, who popularized...
   
   " (Canon Charles O’Neill) – 5:29
6. "I've Been Driving on Bald Mountain/Water Boy
   Waterboy (song)
   "Waterboy" is an American traditional folk song.Originally a black prison work song composed by Jacques Wolfe, a Romanian immigrant, Waterboy became known as a jazz arrangement by Avery Robinson popularized "Water Boy" in the 1920s...
   
   " (Avery Robinson) – 6:54
7. "Ox-Driver Song" – 2:35
8. "Down on Me
   Down On Me
   "Down on Me" is a traditional song from 1930s that became popular following its remake by Big Brother and the Holding Company.Janis Joplin rearranged the song and created new lyrics. The song was originally released in the summer of 1967 and was featured on the band's debut album Big Brother & the...
   
   " – 2:55
9. "Saro Jane" – 2:45
10. "Three Pigs" – 1:18
11. "No More Cane on the Brazos" – 3:38
12. "Jumpin' Judy" – 2:26
13. "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (Julia Ward Howe
    Julia Ward Howe
    Julia Ward Howe was a prominent American abolitionist, social activist, and poet, most famous as the author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic".-Biography:...
    
    ) – 3:52

Personnel

• Odetta Holmes
  Odetta
  Odetta Holmes, known as Odetta, was an American singer, actress, guitarist, songwriter, and a human rights activist, often referred to as "The Voice of the Civil Rights Movement". Her musical repertoire consisted largely of American folk music, blues, jazz, and spirituals...
  
   – vocals, guitar
  Guitar
  The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
  
  
• Bill Lee
  Bill Lee (musician)
  William James Edwards "Bill" Lee III is an American musician. He has played the bass for many artists including Cat Stevens, Harry Belafonte, Chad Mitchell Trio, Gordon Lightfoot, Aretha Franklin, Odetta, Simon and Garfunkel, and Bob Dylan...
  
   – bass
  Double bass
  The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...