Brill Building Pop
Brill Building Pop applied the concept of professional songwriters in tradi… Read Full Bio ↴Brill Building Pop applied the concept of professional songwriters in traditional pop to rock & roll. Numerous teams of professional songwriters worked at the Brill Building -- a block of music publishing houses in New York City -- writing songs for artists as diverse as the Coasters, the Drifters, the Shangri-Las, the Ronettes, Neil Sedaka, and Connie Francis. The songs were indebted not only to rock & roll and R&B, but also Tin Pan Alley pop, as the sophisticated lyrics and melodies proved. The productions on these early '60s records were also more sophisticated than most rock & roll records, featuring orchestras and bands with large rhythm and guitar sections. Though it fell out of favor after the British Invasion, both British and American pop/rock demonstrated an enormous debt to Brill Building pop for years to come.
RELATED GENRES TOP ALBUMS TOP TRACKS TOP ARTISTS
Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Search results not found
Song not found

The Moonbeam Song
Harry Nilsson Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Have you ever watched a moonbeam
As it slid across your windowpane
Or struggled with a bit of rain
Or danced about the weather vane
Or sat along a moving train
And wondered where the train has been

Or on a fence with bits of crap
Around its bottom
Blown there by a wind beam
Who searches for the moonbeam
Who was last seen

Looking at the tracks
Of the careless wind beam
Or moving to the clacks
Of the tireless freight train
And lighting up the sides

Of the weather vane
And the bits of rain
And the windowpane
And the eyes of those
Who think they saw what happened...

Have you ever watched a moonbeam
As it slid across your windowpane
Or struggled with a bit of rain
Or danced about the weather vane
Or sat along a moving train
And wonder where the train has been?

Looking at the tracks
Of the careless wind beam
Or moving to the clacks
Of the tireless freight train

And lighting up the sides
Of the weather vane

And the bits of rain
And the windowpane
And the eyes of those
Who think they saw what happened...?

Overall Meaning

Harry Nilsson's The Moonbeam Song is a reflective ballad about nature's beauty and the emotions it provokes in us. Harry asks about the simple pleasures in life, things like raindrops sliding down a windowpane, a weather vane dancing in the wind, sitting by the window and watching the moonbeams. He asks these questions reminding us how we often take the beauty of nature for granted. He also explores the idea of transience - of things moving on and disappearing - wondering on a train where it has been and exploring where the moonbeam runs to after it leaves the windowpane. The lyrics are an invitation to experience the magic of the world around us that can often be ignored or forgotten.


The lyrics appear to explore the idea of change and impermanence, through the observation of a moonbeam, and how we can only grasp and hold onto these small bits of serendipity in the moment. The song speaks about the search for something that is constantly moving and disappearing - the wind beam who searches for the moonbeam who was last seen. Nilsson suggests that it's in these fleeting and ephemeral moments that we can truly be present and see the world. Through this, he encourages us to take a step back from the busyness of life, to sit and wonder, to appreciate the moments that often pass us by.


Line by Line Meaning

Have you ever watched a moonbeam
Have you ever observed the light of the moon as it traverses your window?


As it slid across your windowpane
As it moved smoothly over your window glass


Or struggled with a bit of rain
Or encountered a small amount of rain that caused difficulty?


Or danced about the weather vane
Or playfully swirled around the weather vane?


Or sat along a moving train
Or rested by the side of a train in motion?


And wondered where the train has been
And pondered the places that the train has passed by?


Or on a fence with bits of crap
Or on a fence partially covered in debris?


Around its bottom
Covering its lower part


Blown there by a wind beam
Carried by a gust of wind


Who searches for the moonbeam
Who looks for the moon's light?


Who was last seen
Who was most recently observed?


Looking at the tracks
Observing the traces


Of the careless wind beam
Left by the inattentive gusts of wind


Or moving to the clacks
Or traveling to the sounds


Of the tireless freight train
Of the unstoppable cargo train


And lighting up the sides
And shining a light on the surface


Of the weather vane
Of the instrument used to measure wind direction


And the bits of rain
And the small droplets of rain


And the windowpane
And the transparent glass of the window


And the eyes of those
And the vision of those people


Who think they saw what happened...
Who believe they witnessed what occurred?


Have you ever watched a moonbeam
Have you ever observed the light of the moon as it traverses your window?


As it slid across your windowpane
As it moved smoothly over your window glass


Or struggled with a bit of rain
Or encountered a small amount of rain that caused difficulty?


Or danced about the weather vane
Or playfully swirled around the weather vane?


Or sat along a moving train
Or rested by the side of a train in motion?


And wonder where the train has been?
And pondered the places that the train has passed by?


Looking at the tracks
Observing the traces


Of the careless wind beam
Left by the inattentive gusts of wind


Or moving to the clacks
Or traveling to the sounds


Of the tireless freight train
Of the unstoppable cargo train


And lighting up the sides
And shining a light on the surface


Of the weather vane
Of the instrument used to measure wind direction


And the bits of rain
And the small droplets of rain


And the windowpane
And the transparent glass of the window


And the eyes of those
And the vision of those people


Who think they saw what happened...?
Who believe they witnessed what occurred?




Lyrics ยฉ Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: HARRY NILSSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Comments from YouTube:

@loveitorleaveit9673

He soothed my 16 year old soul. Here at 64 I have the sweetest memories... thanks, Harry.

@bernieritters7206

Yes โค๐ŸŽธ๐ŸŽต๐ŸŽต Awesome!

@plungerrecords1270

2022โ€ฆ anyone listening? Nilsson was phenomenal โญ๏ธ

@desertlove1

He has entertained me for 40 years

@whitebirchtarot

Absolutely!

@xtc1957

Many are NOT listening, but I have come to say to hell with them. WE have the memories and the beauty of the music of the 60s-70s... and ever shall. If they can't feel it, that's their problem--and their loss. This man's talent was far greater than any "TV contestant," and his voice and writing style were unsurpassed. If only music wasn't eventually clumped in with all the senseless drivel that constitutes modern-day culture (or lack thereof) and not fallen prey to one-dimensional thinking and a blatant, almost intentional disregard for heart and soul. Just the same, we still feel it, and it feels good. Really good.

@whitebirchtarot

@@xtc1957 100%! ๐Ÿ’•

@tammyroutley9368

Yep โค๏ธ โ˜บ๏ธ

34 More Replies...

@meggy0

This song is absolute magic, making something so banal seem so beautiful. God, Nilsson is so under-appreciated. His music is absolutely beautiful.

@floatthecreek

John Lennon thought so. I agree that most people back then didn't think so.

More Comments

More Versions