He was born in Glasgow, Kentucky, where his father was a barber who loved music and inspired Billy to teach himself to play the mandolin at age 3, while suffering a case of the measles. He went on to learn a number of other instruments.
In 1941, Vaughn joined the United States National Guard for what had been planned as a one-year assignment, but when World War II broke out, he was sent abroad till the war ended in 1945. He decided to make music a career when he was discharged from the army at the end of the war, and attended Western Kentucky State College, now known as Western Kentucky University, majoring in music composition. He had apparently learned barbering from his father, because he did some while studying at Western Kentucky to support himself financially, when he was not able to get jobs playing the piano at local night clubs and lounges. While he was a student there, three other students, Jimmy Sacca, Donald McGuire and Seymour Spiegelman, who had formed a vocal trio, The Hilltoppers, recruited Vaughn to play the piano with them. He soon added his voice to theirs, converting the trio to a quartet. As a member of the group, he also wrote their first hit song, Trying, which charted in 1952.
In 1954 he left the group to join Dot Records in Gallatin, Tennessee as music director. He subsequently formed his own orchestra, which had a big hit in that same year with Melody of Love. He went on to have many more hits over the next decade and a half, and based purely on chart successes, was the most successful orchestra leader of all time.
Shine On Harvest Moon
Billy Vaughn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For the moon refused to shine.
Couple sitting underneath a willow tree,
For love they did pine,
Little maid was kinda 'fraid of darkness
So she said, "I guess I'll go."
Boy began to sigh, looked up at the sky,
Told the moon his little tale of woe:
"Oh, shine on, shine on harvest moon up in the sky.
I ain't had no lovin' since January, February, June or July
Snowtime ain't no time to stay outdoors and spoon,
So shine on, shine on harvest moon - for me and my gal !"
I can't see why a boy should sigh,
When by his side is the girl he loves so true,
All he has to say is:
"Won't you be my bride,
For I love you,
Why should I be telling you this secret,
When I know that you can guess?,"
Harvest moon will smile,
Shine on all the while,
If the little girl should answer "yes."
"Oh, shine on, shine on harvest moon up in the sky.
I ain't had no lovin' since January, February, June or July
Snowtime ain't no time to stay outdoors and spoon
So shine on, shine on harvest moon - for me and my gal !"
The lyrics of Billy Vaughn's song "Shine on Harvest Moon" describe a romantic scene of a couple sitting under a willow tree, longing for love. However, the night is too dark for them to see, and the moon is not shining. The little maid feels afraid of the darkness and decides to leave. The boy, who is deeply in love with her, begins to sigh and looks up at the sky. He tells the moon his tale of woe, asking it to shine on the harvest moon to help him and his girl find love.
The song's chorus repeats the boy's plea to the harvest moon to shine on and bring him some good luck in his search for love. But it seems odd that the boy is sighing when the girl he loves is sitting right next to him. Why does he need the moon's help to express his feelings? However, as the song progresses, it becomes clear that the boy is only pretending to be sad and is waiting for the perfect moment to express his love for the girl. He asks her to be his bride, hoping that the harvest moon will shine on them and bring them happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
The night was mighty dark so you could hardly see,
It was a very dark night that made the surroundings almost invisible.
For the moon refused to shine.
The moon did not shine its light on the night.
Couple sitting underneath a willow tree,
There was a couple sitting under a willow tree.
For love they did pine,
The couple desired and longed for each other's love.
Little maid was kinda 'fraid of darkness
The girl was slightly afraid of the dark.
So she said, 'I guess I'll go.'
The girl said that she had to leave.
Boy began to sigh, looked up at the sky,
The boy started to feel hopeless and looked up at the sky.
Told the moon his little tale of woe:
The boy began to tell his story of sorrow to the moon.
"Oh, shine on, shine on harvest moon up in the sky.
Oh, moonlight, please shine brightly in the sky,
I ain't had no lovin' since January, February, June or July
I have not received any love since January, February, June or July.
Snowtime ain't no time to stay outdoors and spoon,
It is not advisable to stay outside and cuddle during the snowy weather.
So shine on, shine on harvest moon - for me and my gal !"
So, please shine brightly, harvest moon, for me and my lover!
I can't see why a boy should sigh,
I cannot understand why the boy was feeling hopeless.
When by his side is the girl he loves so true,
The girl that he truly loves is right beside him.
All he has to say is:
All he needs to do is to express how he truly feels.
"Won't you be my bride,
"Will you marry me?
For I love you,
Because I love you.
Why should I be telling you this secret,
Why should I keep this information to myself when you already know how I feel?
When I know that you can guess?",
I know that you know what I want to say.
Harvest moon will smile,
The moon will appear in a friendly manner.
Shine on all the while,
Keep shining the entire time.
If the little girl should answer "yes."
If the girl says yes.
"Oh, shine on, shine on harvest moon up in the sky.
Oh, moonlight, please shine brightly in the sky,
I ain't had no lovin' since January, February, June or July
I haven't had any affection since January, February, June or July.
Snowtime ain't no time to stay outdoors and spoon
It is not advisable to stay outside and cuddle during the snowy weather.
So shine on, shine on harvest moon - for me and my gal !"
So, please shine brightly, harvest moon, for me and my lover!
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JACK NORWORTH, NORA BAYES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
George Phinn
Good Music - Music To Relax - No Stress - No Worries - Play it again
George Phinn
Billy Vaughn is MY Favorite Big Band - Music - Favorite - I Love ALL his Songs and this song is surely among them along with - La Paloma - Pearly Shells - A Swinging Safari - Thumbling Thumble Weeds - Blue Hawaii - ALL The Great Tunes by Billy Vaughn - I still love his Music