Vaughn began his professional music career in 1952, forming the vocal quartet the Hilltoppers with Don McGuire, Jimmy Sacca, and Seymour Speigelman. From 1952 to 1957, the Hilltoppers had numerous hit singles, beginning with Vaughn's song "Trying." He left the group in 1955 to join Dot Records as a musical director.
Vaughn was responsible for most of Dot's biggest hits of the '50s as he rearranged popular rock & roll and R&B songs for white, mainstream groups. His first success was with the Fontane Sisters, who sang with his orchestra on all their singles, including their 1954 breakthrough hit "Hearts of Stone." However, Dot's biggest success was Pat Boone, who had a series of hits with Vaughn's cleaned-up arrangements of rock & roll songs.
Isle of Capri
Billy Vaughn and His Orchestra Lyrics
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Beneath the shade of an old walnut tree
Oh, I can still see the flowers blooming round her
Where we met on the Isle of Capri
She was as sweet as a rose at the dawning
But somehow fate hadn't meant her for me
And though I sailed with the tide in the morning
Summertime was nearly over
Blue Italian sky above
I said "Lady, I'm a rover,
Can you spare a sweet word of love?"
She whispered softly "It's best not to linger"
And then as I kissed her hand I could see
She wore a lovely meatball on her finger
't was goodbye at the villa Capri
Summertime was nearly over
Blue Italian sky above
I said "Lady, I'm a rover,
Can you spare a fine word of love?"
She whispered softly "It's best not to linger"
And then as I kissed her hand I could see
She wore a plain golden ring on her finger
't was goodbye on the Isle of Capri
't was goodbye on the Isle of Capri
't was goodbye on the Isle of Capri
The lyrics of Billy Vaughn's song "Isle of Capri" tells the story of a man who found a woman on the Isle of Capri with whom he fell in love. The verse "She was as sweet as a rose at the dawning/But somehow fate hadn't meant her for me" conveys that the romance was short-lived and was not meant to be. The singer describes the beauty of Capri with the line "Oh, I can still see the flowers blooming round her/Where we met on the Isle of Capri," and the imagery continues with "Summertime was nearly over/Blue Italian sky above." In spite of the apparent mismatch due to different personalities and life circumstances, their time spent on the Isle of Capri remained etched in his memory, and he cannot help but wish for more.
Towards the end, the woman tells the singer that "It's best not to linger" and reveals that she has a "lovely meatball" (meant to be a diamond) on her finger, indicating that she belongs to someone else. The final lines "She wore a plain golden ring on her finger/'t was goodbye on the Isle of Capri" bring the story to a poignant conclusion, as the song ends on a note of resignation and reflects on the vagaries of fate.
Line by Line Meaning
't was on the Isle of Capri that I found her
I met her on the Isle of Capri
Beneath the shade of an old walnut tree
We met under a tree
Oh, I can still see the flowers blooming round her
I remember the flowers around her
Where we met on the Isle of Capri
We met on the Isle of Capri
She was as sweet as a rose at the dawning
She was very sweet
But somehow fate hadn't meant her for me
But we were not meant to be together
And though I sailed with the tide in the morning
And even though I left in the morning
Still my heart's on the Isle of Capri
I still think about the Isle of Capri
Summertime was nearly over
The summer was coming to an end
Blue Italian sky above
The sky was blue
I said "Lady, I'm a rover, Can you spare a sweet word of love?"
I asked her for love
She whispered softly "It's best not to linger"
She told me to leave
And then as I kissed her hand I could see
As I kissed her hand, I noticed
She wore a lovely meatball on her finger
She was already taken
't was goodbye at the villa Capri
We said goodbye at the villa Capri
't was goodbye on the Isle of Capri
We said goodbye on the Isle of Capri
't was goodbye on the Isle of Capri
We said goodbye on the Isle of Capri
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JIMMY KENNEDY, WILL GROSZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind