Jeff Healey (born Norman Jeffrey Healey on March 25, 1966 in Toronto, Cana… Read Full Bio ↴Jeff Healey (born Norman Jeffrey Healey on March 25, 1966 in Toronto, Canada – died March 2, 2008) was a blind Canadian blues-rock guitarist. Healey was perhaps most notable for his innovative playing style, with his guitar lying flat on his lap. Despite losing his sight to cancer of the eyes at one years old, he began to play guitar when he was just three, and developed his own unique playing style and technique.

Shortly after completing high school, Jeff began to gain attention around the Toronto pub and club scene with a three piece band that showcased his incredible talents. The Jeff Healey Band had a monthly weekend gig at Baker Street, on Queen Street East. Jeff soon garnered local attention and people traveled to come and see him play with his band. Record executives came to check out his performances before he eventually signed with BMG Canada and Artista in the USA. His guitar workmanship became legendary with his unique playing style, and he was recruited for a spot in the 1989 motion picture Road House, which starred Patrick Swayze and Sam Elliott as bouncers at a roadside bar. Jeff and his band were regular 'performers' at the seedy club and are featured on its official soundtrack.

Jeff was more than just a gifted guitarist, he was a devoted passionate musician who played trumpet in his own Jazz band, Jeff Healey and the Jazz Wizards, hosted a regular radio music show on CBC, and collected vinyl recordings including vintage 78's, and was reported to have one of Canada's largest private music libraries.

Jeff Healey tragically died in Toronto, Sunday March 2, 2008, after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was only 41. For greater details on Jeff's life and musical career contributions, visit his Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Healey

A live DVD/CD box set entitled "Legacy - Volume 1" was released posthumously in 2009 on Arbor Records without Jeff Healey's wife Cristie and his estate's participation. On his website, Cristie Healey discourages support of this product. www.jeffhealey.com

Indiana
Jeff Healey Lyrics

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I have always been a wand'rer
Over land and sea
Yet a moonbeam on the water
Casts a spell o'er me
A vision fair I see
Again I seem to be

Back home again in Indiana

And it seems that I can see
The gleaming candlelight, still shining bright
Through the sycamores for me
The new-mown hay sends all its fragrance
From the fields I used to roam
When I dream about the moonlight on the Wabash
Then I long for my Indiana home

Fancy paints on memory's canvas
Scenes that we hold dear
We recall them in days after
Clearly they appear
And often times I see
A scene that's dear to me

Back home again in Indiana
And it seems that I can see
The gleaming candlelight, still shining bright
Through the sycamores for me
The new-mown hay sends all its fragrance
From the fields I used to roam

When I dream about the moonlight on the Wabash
Then I long for my Indiana home

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Jeff Healey's song "Indiana" are a wistful tribute to the singer's home state. He begins by describing himself as a wanderer who has traveled far and wide across land and sea. However, he is haunted by a moonbeam on the water that casts a spell over him and transports him back to his home state. He sees a vision of Indiana that is both fleeting and familiar, and it fills him with a sense of longing and nostalgia.

As the song progresses, Healey describes how memories can be triggered by simple sensory experiences. The gleaming candlelight and the fragrance of new-mown hay transport him back to the fields he used to roam as a child. He recalls the moonlight on the Wabash River, a famous tributary of the Ohio River that flows through Indiana, and how it made him long for home.

Overall, the lyrics to "Indiana" are a poignant tribute to a place that the singer clearly loves and misses. The use of sensory details and vivid imagery help to bring the song to life, making the listener feel as though they too are wandering through the fields of Indiana and dreaming of home.

Line by Line Meaning

I have always been a wand'rer
I have had a life of traveling and exploring

Over land and sea
I've travelled across land and sea

Yet a moonbeam on the water
But even amidst all the travelling, the sight of a moonbeam on the water has a special effect on me

Casts a spell o'er me
It enchants me

A vision fair I see
I see a beautiful vision

Again I seem to be
I feel like I'm experiencing it again

Back home again in Indiana
I'm back in my home state of Indiana

And it seems that I can see
It feels like I can see everything clearly

The gleaming candlelight, still shining bright
I can see the lights shining through the trees

Through the sycamores for me
Specifically, through the sycamore trees

The new-mown hay sends all its fragrance
I can smell the scent of freshly-mowed hay