I thought of this song yesterday, because my husband was reading an article about the best song about each state, and, in my opinion, 'Indiana,' is the best song about Indiana. (I have lived in Indiana my entire life.)

We had this on cassette when I was a kid, but it was stolen from our car when I was in about 1992, so I hadn't heard it since then (except in my head). I tracked it down today and now I have overlaid another meaning, that is making me tearful.

My mother always loved songs about love of one's home or of a place. And this makes me think of her, since we always listened to it in the car, often when she was driving me home from school.

It's making me think of her death (which was 10 months ago). Not of her actual death, but rather, an exegesis about bidding farewell to the place that you love because you're dying, and have faith that you'll shortly be in Heaven. Especially because she looked forward to dying, so optimistically that it was practically disturbing.

In my new exegesis, "Home," is Heaven, and the ship is a metaphor, Charon's boat that ferries the souls of the dead across the river Styx. The only part that doesn't fit are the first 2 lines of the 2nd verse.

I've written 2 new verses in my head. I have no intention of recording this song (I'm a singer/songwriter), however, it is helping me to explore my grief in a new way. I don't know if I can ever hear it the same way again. I haven't been able to listen to, "Water From Another Time," since my grandfather died, so I hope it doesn't end up like that now, but you know how it is...you write the lyrics, and then have almost no control over what they end up meaning to the people who hear it.