• From: West Georgia
  • Registered: 2006-10-14
  • Posts: 2,557

Topic: "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes"

Ever since I heard this song in my teens, in addition to liking it, I have always wondered about the title. Was it from a movie, was it a quote? It seemed like such an unusual title for a song, that I wondered where the writer got the idea for it.

Here it is from YouTube (it's performed by Bobby Vee):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tNCKKX2eAM.

So after all these years, I decided to research it on google and lo and behold it's from a poem by Francis William Bourdillon (b. 1852).

"The Night Has A Thousand Eyes"

"THE NIGHT has a thousand eyes,   
And the day but one;   
Yet the light of the bright world dies   
With the dying sun.   

The mind has a thousand eyes,    5
And the heart but one;   
Yet the light of a whole life dies   
When love is done."

Kinda depressing IMO, but my question is should/need attribution have been given?

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  • dino48
  • Honoured Member
  • Offline
  • From: los banos,california
  • Registered: 2007-04-06
  • Posts: 6,801

Re: "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes"

Good song,singer and good too see you found the source of the song.

my papy said son your going too drive me too drinking if you dont stop driving that   Hot  Rod  Lincoln!! Cmdr cody and his lost planet airman
  • From: Western Oregon,US
  • Registered: 2008-07-22
  • Posts: 2,498

Re: "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes"

Most written material becomes public domain something like 70 years after the author's death..... so it is likely no infringement was made in reference to the poem.

"what is this quintessence of dust?"  - Shakespeare