Damn Your Eyes

Subject: Damn Your Eyes
From: John Routledge
Date: 29 Dec 00 - 02:26 PM

Learning Boston Harbour from DT I note an extra verse at the end which was not in version I used to know. Was this added in more recent times?

More importantly can enyone bring light to bear on the phrase "damn your eyes" in the song.

Best Wishes for 2001 to everyone GB

Subject: RE: Damn Your Eyes
From: WyoWoman
Date: 29 Dec 00 - 03:04 PM

One of my favorite Etta James' blues songs goes by this title. I don't know the song you're asking about, but having fallen for a man once whose blue eyes matched the color of his chambray shirt and who knew all he had to do to reel my heart back in was to gaze at me in that particular way, I certainly understand the sentiment...

good luck in your quest.

WyoWoman

Subject: RE: Damn Your Eyes
From: MMario
Date: 29 Dec 00 - 03:25 PM

found this on one of the "phrase derivation" sites....

"damn-my-eyes. adj. Naut. flashy; ostentatious. 1849 Melville 'White Jacket' 293 (ref. to 1843): You may put that man down for what man-of-war's men call a 'damn-my-eyes tar,' that is a humbug. And many damn-my-eyes humbugs there are. 1899 Boyd 'Shellback 16 (ref. to 1860's): A tall complexioned hat and a 'd--n my eyes' necktie."

Subject: RE: Damn Your Eyes
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 29 Dec 00 - 03:51 PM

Are you familiar with the old ballad, "Sam Hall"? One of the two most concentrated songs or poems about hate I've ever run across. Should be in the DT, I think. It won't give an intellectual explanation of "damn your eyes", but it sure will give you the meaning just the same.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: Damn Your Eyes
From: Little Hawk
Date: 29 Dec 00 - 03:58 PM

"Damn your eyes!" was a very popular form of verbal abuse in centuries past, especially among the British armed forces, as far as I know. I have come across it numerous times in books about the British Navy during the days of fighting sail (the Napoleonic wars and all that). Usually it's an officer yelling or snapping at some unfortunate underling who has just failed to perform his duties to perfection. It was the equivalent of saying "damn and blast you" or "go to hell" or something like that. If you think about it, damning someone's eyes is a pretty nasty sentiment, because most of us would not be very happy without our eyesight.

Read one of the Horation Hornblower books from cover to cover and I am pretty sure you'll come across the expression somewhere in it.

- LH

Subject: RE: Damn Your Eyes
From: catspaw49
Date: 29 Dec 00 - 04:05 PM

Gene Wilder as Young Frankenstein: "DAMN YOUR EYES!!!!"
Marty Feldman as Igor: "Too late."

Young Frankenstein may be the official Mudcat movie judging fro past comments around here on favorite movies.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Damn Your Eyes
From: Irish sergeant
Date: 29 Dec 00 - 04:22 PM

I've always felt particularly in the case of the song "Sam Hall", that the phrase damn your eyes was closer to f@$k you that go to hell. Although I sing SAm Hall at re-enactments sometimes, it is indeed a very hatefull song. The "sentimental" phrase was used in both the British and American armed forces in the last century but it is chiefly a British phrase. I don't know if it helps but I hope so. HAppy New Year everyone, Kindest reguards, Neil

Subject: RE: Damn Your Eyes
From: John Routledge
Date: 29 Dec 00 - 04:26 PM

Many Thanks to everyone who replied.

Regretably in my context "damns our eyes" means very unpleasant associations as it is a sea captain relating to his men.

I much prefer WyoWomans sentiments - and I don't even have a chambray shirt.

Take Care. John.

Subject: RE: Damn Your Eyes
From: paddymac
Date: 29 Dec 00 - 05:00 PM

I wonder if the subject expression might be the source of, or at least kin to, the expression "Well I'll be damned", which is usually used to express surprise or some degree of disbelief?

Subject: RE: Damn Your Eyes
From: Little Hawk
Date: 29 Dec 00 - 07:04 PM

I doubt it. "I'll be damned," is more generic, and expresses surprise, while "damn your eyes" is directed at someone else and denotes anger, impatience, and extreme disapproval.

In the Hornblower books characters frequently shorten the phrase "I'll be damned" to just "Damme!" (Damn me!)... again, indicating surprise, shock, gobsmacked astonishment, and the like.

- LH

Subject: RE: Damn Your Eyes
From: WyoWoman
Date: 29 Dec 00 - 07:48 PM

I think that was my lone spoken line from "H.M.S. Pinafore," in my heart-stopping role as Cousin Hebe.

"Damme ..."

Not even a full 15 minutes of fame.

And John, I prefer my interpretation, too. The world is too much full of hate, soon and late. The guy ended up being my kids' dad and even though we divorced years ago, the memory of those hall-of-fame eyes can make me retroactively weak in the knees ...

ww