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.
Silent Night
Billy Vaughn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
All's asleep, one sole light,
Just the faithful and holy pair,
Lovely boy-child with curly hair,
Sleep in heavenly peace!
Silent night! Holy night!
God's Son laughs, o how bright.
As the dawn of salvation draws near,
Jesus, Lord, with your birth!
Silent night! Holy night!
Brought the world peace tonight,
From the heavens' golden height
Shows the grace of His holy might
Jesus, as man on this earth!
Silent night! holy night!
Where today all the might
Of His fatherly love us graced
And then Jesus, as brother embraced.
All the peoples on earth!
Silent night! Holy night!
Long we hoped that He might,
As our Lord, free us of wrath,
Since times of our fathers He hath
Promised to spare all mankind!
Silent night! Holy night!
Sheperds first see the sight.
Told by angelic Alleluja,
Sounding everywhere, both near and far:
"Christ the Savior is here!"
The song Silent Night, originally titled Stille Nacht in German, is a popular Christmas carol that has become a staple in many holiday concerts around the world. The first verse of the song talks about the peacefulness of the night, describing it as holy, with everyone asleep except for the faithful couple and their lovely baby boy, who is peacefully sleeping with his curly hair. The second verse describes the bright laughter of God's Son and the love that radiates from him, symbolizing the dawn of salvation and hope for humanity. The third and fourth verses celebrate the birth of Jesus as an act of divine grace that brought peace to the world and united people of all nations and backgrounds, just as the shepherds were brought together by the news of Christ's birth.
The song's simple melody and honest lyrics have made it a classic, but what makes it stand out is its origin story. Silent Night was first performed on Christmas Eve in 1818 in the small town of Oberndorf, Austria. The song was written by a young priest named Joseph Mohr, who was inspired by the beauty of the snowy Austrian Alps as he walked to church on Christmas Eve. He approached the local organist, Franz Gruber, and together they composed the melody and performed it in church that night, accompanied by a guitar since the church's organ was not working. The song quickly became popular, spreading throughout Austria and later Europe, and eventually making its way to the United States in the mid-19th century.
Line by Line Meaning
Silent night! Holy night!
The night is calm and peaceful, holy and divine.
All's asleep, one sole light,
Everyone is asleep except for one light, which symbolizes hope and faith.
Just the faithful and holy pair,
Only two people, Mary and Joseph, are present, being faithful and devout.
Lovely boy-child with curly hair,
The infant Jesus is beautiful, with curly hair and innocent eyes.
Sleep in heavenly peace!
Jesus is sleeping peacefully and soundly, as if he is already in heaven.
God's Son laughs, o how bright.
Jesus, the son of God, brings joy and light to the world.
Love from your holy lips shines clear,
Jesus' words are full of love and compassion, radiating light and hope.
As the dawn of salvation draws near,
With the coming of Jesus, the savior of the world, the hope of salvation is close at hand.
Jesus, Lord, with your birth!
Jesus is the Lord and savior of the world, and his birth is a momentous event for all people.
Brought the world peace tonight,
Jesus' birth announces the arrival of peace to the world, bringing an end to strife and conflict.
From the heavens' golden height
God sends his son Jesus from heaven above, endowed with divine power.
Shows the grace of His holy might
Jesus embodies the grace and power of God, demonstrating his holiness and divine nature.
Jesus, as man on this earth!
Jesus becomes a man to walk among us, to teach us and save us.
Where today all the might
On this day, the world sees the full might and power of God.
Of His fatherly love us graced
God's fatherly love blesses all humanity on this holy night.
And then Jesus, as brother embraced.
Jesus embraces all people as his brothers and sisters, showing his love and compassion for all.
All the peoples on earth!
All people on earth are blessed by Jesus' birth and his message of love.
Long we hoped that He might,
For generations, people hoped and prayed for a savior like Jesus to free them from suffering and sin.
As our Lord, free us of wrath,
Jesus, as our Lord, saves us from God's wrath and judgment.
Since times of our fathers He hath
Jesus' mission has been foretold and anticipated by many previous generations.
Promised to spare all mankind!
Jesus promises to give salvation and eternal life to all people, sparing them from death and destruction.
Sheperds first see the sight.
The first to witness Jesus' arrival are humble shepherds, who represent the common people and their simple faith.
Told by angelic Alleluja,
The shepherds are visited by angels who sing praises to God, proclaiming the good news of Jesus' birth.
Sounding everywhere, both near and far:
The message of Christ's birth resounds throughout the world, spreading the good news of salvation far and wide.
"Christ the Savior is here!"
The angels announce the arrival of the savior, who has come to save the world from sin and death.
Lyrics © DistroKid, BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Cixqo, Integrity Music, Downtown Music Publishing, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Rossio Music Publishing
Written by: Chuck Howard, Franz Gruber, John Berry, Joseph Mohr
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind