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
Sing You Sinners
Jeff Healey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Singing out a word, to a cattle herd
'All you bovine creatures, dig what I'm layin' down
All you sinners drop everything
Everything
Let the melody and the harmony ring
Let it ring
Ring-a-ding
Sing you sinners, won't you sway and swing
What a thing
Start with clapping' y'hands all about
All about
Don't be silent, let the Lord hear y'shout
Shout it out
And just let the music come out
Of yer snout
Sing you sinners, wontcha' sway and swing
Check it out
Dig the drift of what I mean
In a world where there's no music, Old Scratch
Satan gets his kicks, He's up to his tricks
He'll be laughing up and down the banks, He, He, He
Of that River Styx
You're so wicked, baby, and you're depraved
You can rave
It's apparent that you have misbehaved
To your grave
But if you should want to be saved
Just behave
Take a listen now to the bird
Stop all that chewin' your cud, and all that standin' in the mud there
Swing, people Swing every chortle from yer mortal portal
I dig that everyone believes that cattle prodigies are like a sneeze
Hard blowin', missin one lick of blowin' talent to show
If you sing, you gotta swing
Just remember that the day will come
When you will just be steak on a plate
Folk, you know it's fate
So dig the music of the swing-o-sphere
Before yer swing arrives
Too late
That's a little too dark
Still, it is true,
We've got breath for such a limited time
What are ya', stupid?
You cows, you'd think to sing was a crime
In defence now, hence now
Here comes Adele McCluck
Mrs Mockingbird, I must say
You haven't heard the friendly bellowing swing of our friends
The cows as they shed their way from Teagarden to Fuller
Instead of spendin' every day just sneakin' around to lift another lick,
These cats work on their cow-tone so when they get up to blow a
Fatter bone-tone
Into the ozone
And, furthermore
You tweety birds are always singin' away
Never givin' up a thought
Of what you say
We cows do, shedding takes up most of our day
So when we start & settle in to play we can say
A moo is an array of what cows have always known as the best and
Only way to play
What we mean to say is
Before the band will let you sing
Sing with Fletcher Henderson
You'd better get yourself to swing
Like the Bean or Satch
So your horn can blow a single note or two of deeper thinking
That's the way to swing
So set your mind upon a tone
When you're sheddin' all alone
And you will have a cornerstone
Like the bass trombone
Blow your horn and take a bow
So that you're swingin' like the cows
Pythagoras would be so proud of us
The lyrics of Jeff Healey's 'Sing You Sinners' speak about the power of music to free oneself from the mundane, and how it can bring people together. The song starts with a mockingbird teaching a lesson to cattle about the importance of music and asking sinners to drop everything and lift their arms up to heaven to sing. The song then goes on to describe the beauty of music and how it can be used to defeat evil, represented by Satan.
The lyrics focus on the joy of music, and despite the fact that we all will meet our demise one day, we should enjoy the time we have by singing and dancing. The cows in the song are an example of hard-working, humble animals that spend most of their time shedding, but when they start playing music, they do so with conviction and passion, creating beautiful sounds. The song encourages listeners to set their minds on a tone and continue shedding and improving to become better each day, like the cows.
Line by Line Meaning
Once a mockingbird, he was overheard
A mockingbird was caught singing and spreading its melody.
Singing out a word, to a cattle herd
The bird sang to the herd of cattle.
"All you bovine creatures, dig what I'm layin' down
The bird tried to connect to the cattle through his song.
All you sinners drop everything
People who have sinned in life should listen to the song and forget their past mistakes.
Let the melody and the harmony ring
The tune of the music should flow through the air and resonate with each individual.
Lift arms up to Heaven and sing
People should praise God and sing in honor of his name.
Sing you sinners, won't you sway and swing
Everyone should dance and feel the beat of the song.
Start with clapping' y'hands all about
Begin by clapping your hands together with the music.
Don't be silent, let the Lord hear y'shout
Do not stay quiet and let your voice be heard.
And just let the music come out
Just let the music make you feel and dance to its tune.
In a world where there's no music, Old Scratch
Without music, the Devil will find ways to corrupt human beings.
Satan gets his kicks, He's up to his tricks
Satan (the Devil) will do anything to corrupt human beings, to make them fall and go against God's will.
He'll be laughing up and down the banks, He, He, He
Satan will be happy when he can win over human beings.
You're so wicked, baby, and you're depraved
A person is very wicked and sinful.
You can rave
You can always express your opinions and share your thoughts.
It's apparent that you have misbehaved
It's obvious that you did something wrong.
But if you should want to be saved
If you want to change and move on from your mistakes.
Just behave
Conduct yourself properly, and follow the right path.
Take a listen now to the bird
Listen to the bird singing.
Stop all that chewin' your cud, and all that standin'
Stop doing useless things, and enjoy the moment.
Swing, people Swing every chortle from yer mortal portal
Dance and move to the music, and enjoy every bit of life.
I dig that everyone believes that cattle prodigies are like a sneeze
It's funny how people think cattle are not talented when it comes to singing.
Hard blowin', missin one lick of blowin' talent to show
They are not blowing up to their potential.
If you sing, you gotta swing
If you want to sing, you should move as well.
Just remember that the day will come
Remember that someday you will die and cease to exist.
When you will just be steak on a plate
When you will be nothing more than food for someone else to eat.
Folk, you know it's fate
It's inevitable that this will happen.
So dig the music of the swing-o-sphere
Listen to the music and enjoy life while you can.
Before yer swing arrives
Before your life comes to an end.
Too late
Make sure you live life to the fullest before it's too late.
You tweety birds are always singin' away
You birds are always singing and showing off.
Never givin' up a thought
You never stop to think.
Of what you say
About what you sing and the message it conveys.
We cows do, shedding takes up most of our day
Cows have to take care of themselves, which is why they think before they act.
So when we start & settle in to play we can say
Cows are careful and calculative, so when they decide to play, they enjoy it to the fullest.
A moo is an array of what cows have always known as the best and
A cow's moo is an expression of joy, and they know how to sing it the best.
Only way to play
It is the only way to express their feelings through sound.
Before the band will let you sing
Before you can join the band and show your talent,
Sing with Fletcher Henderson
You should practice and learn from the best musicians like Fletcher Henderson.
You'd better get yourself to swing
You should practice and get better to be able to compete and play with the band.
Like the Bean or Satch
Like musicians like Coleman Hawkins 'The Bean' or Louis Armstrong 'Satchmo'.
So your horn can blow a single note or two of deeper thinking
So you can express yourself and the emotions in the music with a deeper meaning.
That's the way to swing
That's how to play the music.
So set your mind upon a tone
Pick a tone and style in which you'd like to express yourself.
When you're sheddin' all alone
When you are practicing and rehearsing by yourself.
And you will have a cornerstone
You will have a basis and foundation to build upon.
Like the bass trombone
You will have a solid sound and rhythm.
Blow your horn and take a bow
Show off your talent and take a moment of pride.
So that you're swingin' like the cows
So you can dance and express yourself freely like the cows.
Pythagoras would be so proud of us
Pythagoras would be proud of the way cows play and express themselves through music.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Sam Coslow, W. Franke Harling
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind