Gillan was born in Hounslow, Middlesex, England. He joined the band Deep Purple in 1969. In 1970, he sang the part of Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar. After leaving Deep Purple in 1973, he went into brief retirement before forming the Ian Gillan Band. The early band sound had a distinct jazz-rock aspect which proved unpopular and was replaced by a more high powered hard rock sound as Gillan reformed the lineup and shortened the groups name to Gillan. With the release of Mr. Universe Ian Gillan was back in the UK charts and through several more line up changes released a string of hit singles and successful albums including Glory Road, Future Shock, Double Trouble, and finally Magic.
Then he announced the band would fold as he needed to rest his damaged vocal cords. In 1983 he joined Black Sabbath to record the Born Again album before rejoining a reunited Deep Purple shortly after completing the Born Again tour in early 1984. He left Purple again in 1989, but rejoined for good in 1992. He remains in the band today.
Gillan is now working on a project to document his 40-year career, tentatively called Gillan's Inn. Tony Iommi, Jeff Healey, various members of Deep Purple and many others will be featured on this 2006 DVD project.
Goodhand Liza
Ian Gillan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nobody want to help me
Nobody want to help me
I see you turn your eyes away
I live in gutters
I live in alleys
I live in your house
I am a bad reflection
I am a bad reflection
I am your secret shadow
The woman Liza
This woman Liza
She gave me goodhand
She take me to religion (x3)
She make my boy man (x3)
Good Liza pay me money
This Liza pay me well
She save my soul from Heaven
She gives salvation (x3)
I work for goodhand Liza
She is my soul provider
I feel so good beside her
The lyrics to "Goodhand Liza" by Ian Gillan Band present a story of a down-and-out person who feels ignored and outcast by society, living in gutters and alleys. The person is portrayed as a bad reflection and a secret shadow, almost as if they are ashamed of themselves. However, the narrative takes a turn when the person encounters a woman named Liza, who gives them "goodhand" and takes them to religion, making them feel like a man. The song indicates that Liza has paid the person money and saved their soul from heaven, giving them salvation. The individual then works for Liza and considers her their soul provider, feeling good when they are around her.
The song's overarching theme is about redemption and needing someone to believe in you when you feel worthless. The singer is a person who has been rejected by society but is given purpose and salvation by Liza. The lyrics provide a glimpse into the singer's psyche, revealing their struggle with their self-worth and how Liza's actions helped them find a new life.
Line by Line Meaning
Nobody want to help me
I feel like no one will give me a helping hand
Nobody want to help me
It's hard for me to get support from anyone
I see you turn your eyes away
Whenever I need help, people avoid making eye contact with me
I live in gutters
My living conditions are terrible and I have nowhere to go
I live in alleys
I am forced to live in dangerous streets with no help from anyone
I live in your house
I feel like society has forgotten about me while they enjoy a comfortable lifestyle
I am a bad reflection
People see me as a negative reflection of themselves
I am a bad reflection
I feel like a burden to society and a reflection of their problems
I am your secret shadow
I am always present but people don't notice me because they don't want to see the problem they created
The woman Liza
Liza is the one person who has been kind to me and helped me in my time of need
This woman Liza
Liza has been a savior to me when others have turned a blind eye
She gave me goodhand
Liza has provided me with a job that has allowed me to improve my situation
She take me to religion
Liza has introduced me to faith and a belief system that gives me hope
She make my boy man
Liza has helped me develop and mature into a responsible adult
Good Liza pay me money
Liza is generous and pays me well for my work
This Liza pay me well
Liza compensates me fairly and helps me make ends meet
She save my soul from Heaven
Liza has helped me spiritually and given me a renewed sense of purpose and hope
She gives salvation
Liza's kindness and generosity has been instrumental in helping me turn my life around
I work for goodhand Liza
I am grateful for Liza's help and am happy to work hard for her
She is my soul provider
Liza provides me with the support I need to keep going
I feel so good beside her
Being around Liza makes me feel happy and content
Contributed by Audrey K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.