note the spelling Willson ... www.last.fm/music/Meredith+Willson
Born Robert Meredith Reiniger in Mason City, Iowa, Willson attended Damrosch Institute (later The Juilliard School) in New York City. A flute and piccolo player, Willson was a member of John Philip Sousa's band (1921 - 1923) and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under Arturo Toscanini (1924 - 1929). Willson then moved to San Francisco, California as the concert director for KFRC, and then as a musical director for the NBC radio network in Hollywood.
His work for films included the music for Charlie Chaplin's 1940 film The Great Dictator, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. During World War II, he worked for the United States' Armed Forces Radio Service. His work with the AFRS teamed him with George Burns, Gracie Allen and Bill Goodwin. (He would work with all three as the bandleader, and a regular character, on the Burns and Allen radio program.) Returning to network radio after WWII, he created the Talking People, a choral group which spoke in unison while delivering radio commercials.
Willson's most famous work, The Music Man, premiered on Broadway in 1957 and was adapted twice for film (in 1962 and 2003). He referred to the play as "an Iowan's attempt to pay tribute to his home state." It took Willson some eight years and thirty revisions to complete the musical, for which he wrote more than forty songs. The cast recording of The Music Man won the very first Grammy award ever issued.
His second musical, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, ran on Broadway for 532 performances from 1960 to 1962 and was made into a 1964 motion picture starring Debbie Reynolds.
His third (and apparently last) musical was an adaptation of the film Miracle On 34th Street, called Here's Love! (1963).
His Symphony No. 1 In F Minor, A Symphony Of San Francisco, and Symphony No. 2 In E Minor, Missions Of California, were recorded in 1999 by William T. Stromberg conducting the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra.
Willson penned a number of very well-known songs, such as "Seventy-Six Trombones," "Gary Indiana," "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas," and even "Till There Was You," which was a hit for the Beatles in 1963. He also wrote the University of Iowa's fight song.
In general, it was recognized that Willson wrote surprisingly well-crafted, complex, and subtle music that classical music fans could appreciate, with intricate and sometimes startling counterpoint, well-crafted melody, and subtle orchestration, all while still appealing to mass audiences.
Willson and his wife lived for years in the Mandeville Canyon section of Brentwood, California. In the 1960s, Willson was fondly remembered by friends and neighbors as a warm and gregarious host who loved nothing more than to play the piano and sing at numerous parties. Willson often gave out autographed copies of his record album, Meredith Willson Sings Songs from The Music Man.
Wells Fargo Wagon
Meredith Wilson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
O-ho the Wells Fargo Wagon is a-comin' down the street,
Oh please let it be for me!
O-ho the Wells Fargo Wagon is a-comin' down the street,
I wish, I wish I knew what it could be!
First Voice:
I got a box of maple sugar on my birthday.
Second Voice:
In March I got a gray mackinaw.
Third Voice:
And once I got some grapefruit from Tampa.
Fourth Voice:
Montgom'ry Ward sent me a bathtub and a cross-cut saw.
People:
O-ho the Wells Fargo Wagon is a-comin' now
Is it a prepaid surprise or C.O.D.
Fifth Voice:
It could be curtains!
Sixth Voice:
Or dishes!
Seventh Voice:
Or a double boiler!
Eighth Voice:
Or it could be
People:
Yes, it could be
Yes, you're right it surely could be
Eighth Voice:
Somethin' special
People:
Somethin' very, very special now
Eighth Voice:
Just for me!
People:
O-ho the Wells Fargo Wagon is a-comin' down the street.
Oh, don't let him pass my door!
O-ho the Wells Fargo
Wagon is a-comin' down the street
I wish I knew what he was comin' for.
Ninth Voice:
I got some salmon from Seattle last September.
Tenth Voice:
And I expect a new rockin' chair.
Eleventh Voice:
I hope I get my raisins from Fresno.
Quartet:
The D.A.R. have sent a cannon for the courthouse square.
Winthrop:
O-ho the Wellth Fargo Wagon ith a-comin' now,
I don't know how I can ever wait to thee.
It could be thumpin' for thumone who is
No relation but it could be thump'n thpethyul
Just for me!
People:
O-ho, you Wells Fargo Wagon keep a-comin'
O-ho, you Wells Fargo
Wagon, keep a-comin'.
O-ho you Wells Fargo Wagon, Don't you dare Mae a stop
Until you stop for me!
The song "Wells Fargo Wagon" is a cheerful tune from Meredith Willson's 1957 Broadway musical "The Music Man". The song tells a story of people waiting eagerly for the Wells Fargo wagon to arrive and to deliver their packages, revealing a little about each person's previous experiences with the wagon. Each verse is narrated by a different person, and the song is filled with excitement and anticipation.
The first three stanzas of the song reveal what each person has received in the past from the Wells Fargo wagon. The fourth stanza begins with the excitement of the wagon's arrival, but the fifth and sixth stanzas show the people becoming a little anxious, wondering what could be in the wagon this time. The voices speculate it could be curtains, dishes or some other household item. In the seventh stanza, one voice suggests it could be something very special just for them, and in the eighth stanza, everyone joins in saying that it could be something very special. The ninth and tenth stanzas continue the pattern of the third and fourth, revealing what each person hopes to receive from the Wells Fargo wagon. The eleventh stanza is sung by the quartet, revealing that they have sent a cannon for the courthouse square. Then, finally, the song ends with a young boy named Winthrop hoping that the Wells Fargo wagon is coming for him and that whatever is in this particular wagon is just for him.
Overall, the song is about the feeling of excitement and anticipation that comes when waiting for something to arrive, combined with the joys of unexpected gifts and surprises that might arrive with it. It is a song that perfectly captures the energy and excitement of a time gone by, when life was simpler but still full of potential.
Line by Line Meaning
O-ho the Wells Fargo Wagon is a-comin' down the street,
The Wells Fargo delivery vehicle is approaching on my street.
Oh please let it be for me!
I hope the delivery is meant for me.
I wish, I wish I knew what it could be!
I'm excited for the delivery, but I'm also curious about what it might contain.
I got a box of maple sugar on my birthday.
On my recent birthday, I received a box of maple sugar as a gift.
In March I got a gray mackinaw.
During the month of March, I received a gray mackinaw coat.
And once I got some grapefruit from Tampa.
On a previous occasion, I received grapefruit that had been shipped from Tampa.
Montgom'ry Ward sent me a bathtub and a cross-cut saw.
Montgomery Ward sent me a shipment that included a bathtub and a tool called a cross-cut saw.
O-ho the Wells Fargo Wagon is a-comin' now
The Wells Fargo delivery vehicle is getting closer.
Is it a prepaid surprise or C.O.D.
I'm wondering if the shipment is something that was paid for in advance, or if it is a Cash On Delivery shipment that requires payment upon delivery.
It could be curtains!
The shipment might contain curtains for the windows.
Or dishes!
The shipment could contain dishes for the kitchen.
Or a double boiler!
Perhaps the shipment contains a kitchen appliance known as a double boiler.
Yes, it could be
It is possible that the shipment contains any number of things.
Somethin' special
I'm hoping the delivery contains something out of the ordinary or particularly special.
Somethin' very, very special now
I'm hoping that the shipment contains something extremely special or exciting.
Just for me!
It would be wonderful if the delivery were meant just for me.
Oh, don't let him pass my door!
I don't want the delivery to pass by my house without stopping.
I wish I knew what he was comin' for.
I'm still curious about what the delivery contains.
I got some salmon from Seattle last September.
Last September, I received a shipment containing salmon from Seattle.
And I expect a new rockin' chair.
I'm anticipating the arrival of a new rocking chair.
I hope I get my raisins from Fresno.
I'm hoping that my shipment includes raisins from Fresno.
The D.A.R. have sent a cannon for the courthouse square.
The D.A.R. (Daughters of the American Revolution) have shipped a cannon to be placed in the courthouse square.
I don't know how I can ever wait to thee.
I'm so excited for my delivery that I don't know how I can wait to see it.
It could be thumpin' for thumone who is
The shipment might be meant for someone else.
No relation but it could be thump'n thpethyul
The delivery might not be related to me, but it could still be something exciting or valuable.
O-ho, you Wells Fargo Wagon keep a-comin'
I'm urging the Wells Fargo delivery vehicle to keep moving forward.
Don't you dare Mae a stop
I don't want the vehicle to stop before reaching me.
Until you stop for me!
I want the delivery to be specifically for me and to stop at my location.
Contributed by Anthony S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.