William Galison is an American jazz musician, most famous as a harmonica pl… Read Full Bio ↴William Galison is an American jazz musician, most famous as a harmonica player but also known as a multi-instrumentalist, singer and composer.

Galison was born and raised in New York City, New York. As a child, he started to study piano, but at the age of eight decided to switch to guitar having been inspired by The Beatles. He developed a love of jazz in high school and subsequently attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He decided to change to the harmonica because "I was one of a million guitarists at Berklee" and it was easy to carry around. He became Berklee's only harmonica player. Among his role models at the time were Toots Thielemans and Stevie Wonder.

After Berklee, he studied further at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, then returned to New York in 1982. He swiftly developed a good reputation as a singer, songwriter and instrumentalist.
He performed at various New York venues including The Village Gate, The Blue Note and the Lone Star Cafe with legendary jazz musicians Jaco Pastorius and Jaki Byard. He also played with his own group at Preacher's Cafe in Greenwich Village.

Galison has worked with a diverse range of artists including Carly Simon, Sting, Barbra Streisand, Peggy Lee, Chaka Khan and Astrud Gilberto. He has performed Gordon Jacob's "Suite for Harmonica and Orchestra" and toured the USA in the Broadway musical, Big River. He has also recorded soundtracks for films, most notably Academy Award nominees The Untouchables and Bagdad Café. His harmonica is also heard on the Sesame Street theme ("a great honor") and countless commercials. Other television work includes Oz and Saturday Night Live
One of his major influences and role models, Toots Thielmans, once described him as "the most original and individual of the new generation of harmonica players".

Blues Harp
William Galison Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

A desert road from Vegas to nowhere
Some place better than where you've been
A coffee machine that needs some fixing
In a little café just around the bend

I am calling you
Can't you hear me
I am calling you

A hot dry wind blows right through me
The baby's crying and I can't sleep
But we all know a change is coming
Oh, coming closer sweet release

I am calling you
I know you hear me
I am calling you, oh

Oh, oh
Oh
Ooh, oh
I am calling you

A desert road from Vegas to nowhere
Some place better than where you've been
A coffee machine that needs some fixing
In a little café just around the bend

A hot dry wind blows right through me
Your baby's crying, I can't sleep
Oh, but we all, we all, we all know a change is coming
Oh, coming closer sweet release, sweet release, sweet

I am calling you

I know, I know you hear me
I am calling you, oh

Overall Meaning

These lyrics to William Galison's song "Blues-Harp" paint a vivid picture of someone who is struggling and looking for a change. The desert road from Vegas to nowhere represents a metaphorical journey the singer is on, in search of a better place - both physically and mentally. The coffee machine that needs fixing in the little cafe represents the small things in life that can be fixed and that bring comfort. The singer is calling out to someone, a plea for help or guidance perhaps, as they feel lost and alone.

The hot and dry wind blowing through the singer represents the harsh realities of life, while the crying baby represents a sense of urgency and responsibility. However, the lyrics also offer hope - the singer knows that a change is coming and they are anticipating the sweet release that will soon come.

Line by Line Meaning

A desert road from Vegas to nowhere
Travelling aimlessly from Las Vegas to an unknown destination

Some place better than where you've been
Hoping to find a better place than a previous location

A coffee machine that needs some fixing
A broken coffee maker in need of repair

In a little café just around the bend
A small coffee shop located nearby

I am calling you
Reaching out for help and support

Can't you hear me
Asking for acknowledgement and understanding

A hot dry wind blows right through me
Feeling emotionally drained and exhausted

The baby's crying and I can't sleep
Struggling to find rest due to a crying child

But we all know a change is coming
Anticipating an upcoming alteration in life

Oh, coming closer sweet release
The change that is coming will bring relief and comfort

Oh
An exclamation to emphasize the emotional state