Born during the Great Depression and raised by his grandparents, Nelson wrote his first song at age seven and joined his first band at ten. During high school, he toured locally with the Bohemian Polka as their lead singer and guitar player. After graduating from high school in 1950, he joined the U.S. Air Force but was later discharged due to back problems. After his return, Nelson attended Baylor University for two years but dropped out because he was succeeding in music. During this time, he worked as a disc jockey in Texas radio stations and a singer in honky-tonks. Nelson moved to Vancouver, Washington, where he wrote "Family Bible" and recorded the song "Lumberjack" in 1956. He also worked as a disc jockey at various radio stations in Vancouver and nearby Portland, Oregon. In 1958, he moved to Houston, Texas, after signing a contract with D Records. He sang at the Esquire Ballroom weekly and he worked as a disk jockey. During that time, he wrote songs that would become country standards, including "Funny How Time Slips Away", "Hello Walls", "Pretty Paper", and "Crazy". In 1960 he moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and later signed a publishing contract with Pamper Music which allowed him to join Ray Price's band as a bassist. In 1962, he recorded his first album, ...And Then I Wrote. Due to this success, Nelson signed in 1964 with RCA Victor and joined the Grand Ole Opry the following year. After mid-chart hits in the late 1960s and the early 1970s, Nelson retired in 1972 and moved to Austin, Texas. The ongoing music scene of Austin motivated Nelson to return from retirement, performing frequently at the Armadillo World Headquarters.
In 1973, after signing with Atlantic Records, Nelson turned to outlaw country, including albums such as Shotgun Willie and Phases and Stages. In 1975, he switched to Columbia Records, where he recorded the critically acclaimed album Red Headed Stranger. The same year, he recorded another outlaw country album, Wanted! The Outlaws, along with Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser. During the mid-1980s, while creating hit albums like Honeysuckle Rose and recording hit songs like "On the Road Again", "To All the Girls I've Loved Before", and "Pancho and Lefty", he joined the country supergroup The Highwaymen, along with fellow singers Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson.
In 1990, Nelson's assets were seized by the Internal Revenue Service, which claimed that he owed $32 million. The difficulty of paying his outstanding debt was aggravated by weak investments he had made during the 1980s. In 1992, Nelson released The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories?; the profits of the double album—destined to the IRS—and the auction of Nelson's assets cleared his debt. During the 1990s and 2000s, Nelson continued touring extensively, and released albums every year. Reviews ranged from positive to mixed. He explored genres such as reggae, blues, jazz, and folk.
Nelson made his first movie appearance in the 1979 film The Electric Horseman, followed by other appearances in movies and on television. Nelson is a major liberal activist and the co-chair of the advisory board of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), which is in favor of marijuana legalization. On the environmental front, Nelson owns the bio-diesel brand Willie Nelson Biodiesel, which is made from vegetable oil. Nelson is also the honorary chairman of the advisory board of the Texas Music Project, the official music charity of the state of Texas.
Nelson uses a variety of music styles to create his own distinctive blend of country music, a hybrid of jazz, pop, blues, rock and folk. His "unique sound", which uses a "relaxed, behind-the-beat singing style and gut-string guitar" and his "nasal voice and jazzy, off-center phrasing", has been responsible for his wide appeal, and has made him a "vital icon in country music", influencing the "new country, new traditionalist, and alternative country movements of the 1980s and 1990s".
In 1969, the Baldwin company gave Nelson an amplifier and guitar with their "Prismatone" pickup. During a show in Helotes, Texas, Nelson left the guitar on the floor of the stage, and it was later stepped on by a drunk man. He sent it to be repaired in Nashville by Shot Jackson, who told Nelson that the damage was too great. Jackson offered him a Martin N-20 Classical guitar, and, at Nelson's request, moved the pickup to the Martin. Nelson purchased the guitar unseen for $750 and named it after Roy Rogers' horse "Trigger". The next year Nelson rescued the guitar from his burning ranch.
Constant strumming with a guitar pick over the decades has worn a large sweeping hole into the guitar's body near the sound hole—the N-20 has no pick-guard since classical guitars are meant to be played fingerstyle instead of with picks. Its soundboard has been signed by over a hundred of Nelson's friends and associates, ranging from fellow musicians to lawyers and football coaches. The first signature on the guitar was Leon Russell's, who asked Nelson initially to sign his guitar. When Nelson was about to sign it with a marker, Russell requested him to scratch it instead, explaining that the guitar would be more valuable in the future. Interested in the concept, Nelson requested Russell to also sign his guitar. In 1991, during his process with the IRS, Nelson was worried that Trigger could be auctioned off, stating: "When Trigger goes, I'll quit". He asked his daughter, Lana, to take the guitar from the studio before any IRS agent arrived there, and then deliver it to him in Maui. Nelson then concealed the guitar in his manager's house until his debt was paid off in 1993.
Nelson is widely recognized as an American icon. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1993, and he received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1998. In 2011, Nelson was inducted to the National Agricultural Hall of Fame, for his labor in Farm Aid and other fund raisers to benefit farmers. In 2015 Nelson won the Gershwin Prize, the lifetime award of the Library of Congress. In 2018 The Texas Institute of Letters inducted him among its members for his songwriting. He was included by Rolling Stone on its 100 Greatest Singers and 100 Greatest Guitarists lists.
Moonlight in Vermont
Willie Nelson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fallen leaves of sycamore
Moonlight in Vermont
Icy finger waves
Ski trails on a mountain side
Snow light in Vermont
Sing down the highway
Travel each bend in the road
People who meet in this romantic setting
Are so hypnotized by the lovely
Evening summer breeze
Warbling of a meadow lark
Moonlight in Vermont
Telegraph cables
Sing down the highway
Travel each bend in the road
People who meet in this romantic setting
Are so hypnotized by the lovely
Evening summer breeze
Warbling of a meadow lark
Moonlight in Vermont
You and I and moonlight in Vermont
The lyrics to Willie Nelson's song "Moonlight in Vermont" paint a beautiful picture of the landscape of Vermont, particularly at night. The first two lines describe the gentle flow of a stream and the leaves of a sycamore tree on the water's surface, through which the moonlight shines. The third line, "Moonlight in Vermont," ties the image together, emphasizing the serene and picturesque beauty of the state.
The next verse describes winter scenes in Vermont, with "icy finger waves" and "ski trails" on a mountain side illuminated by "snow light." The imagery emphasizes that Vermont is beautiful in all seasons, and that even amidst cold, snowy winters, there is a certain kind of magic in the air.
The final verse describes the romantic atmosphere of Vermont in the summertime. The "telegraph cables" sing down the highway, easily connecting people who are travelling through the winding roads of the state. People who meet in Vermont are hypnotized by the beauty of the summer breeze and the warbling of meadowlarks. The final line, "You and I and moonlight in Vermont," is a beautiful acknowledgment of how the beauty of the state can bring people together and create lasting memories.
Line by Line Meaning
Pennies in a stream
Small things in life that are often overlooked
Fallen leaves of sycamore
The changing of seasons and the beauty of nature
Moonlight in Vermont
The peacefulness and serenity of a quiet night
Icy finger waves
The cold and harsh reality of winter
Ski trails on a mountain side
The beauty and excitement of outdoor activities in the winter
Snow light in Vermont
The way snow illuminates and changes the landscape
Telegraph cables
Technology and connectivity
Sing down the highway
The constant flow of communication and information
Travel each bend in the road
The journey and experiences of life
People who meet in this romantic setting
The power of love and connection in a beautiful location
Are so hypnotized by the lovely
The way beauty can captivate and enchant us
Evening summer breeze
The gentle and calming breeze of a warm summer night
Warbling of a meadow lark
The peaceful sounds of nature and the joy it can bring
Moonlight in Vermont
The peacefulness and serenity of a quiet night
You and I and moonlight in Vermont
The beauty and wonder of experiencing a beautiful location with someone you care about
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: John M. Blackburn, Karl Suessdorf
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bruce Stephenson
Pennies in a stream
Fallen leaves of sycamore
Moonlight in Vermont
Icy finger waves
Ski trails on a mountain side
Snow light in Vermont
Telegraph cables
Sing down the highway
Travel each bend in the road
People who meet in this romantic setting
Are so hypnotized by the lovely
Evening summer breeze
Warbling of a meadow lark
Moonlight in Vermont
Telegraph cables
Sing down the highway
Travel each bend in the road
People who meet in this romantic setting
Are so hypnotized by the lovely
Evening summer breeze
Warbling of a meadow lark
Moonlight in Vermont
You and I and moonlight in Vermont
Songwriters
Read more: Willie Nelson - Moonlight In Vermont Lyrics | MetroLyrics
Mark Blackburn
Siriusly Sinatra satellite radio just played Willie Nelson's recording of MOONLIGHT IN VERMONT -- from his multi-platinum selling "Stardust" album -- my 'other favorite version, after Sinatra's definitive recording. (Although, come to think of it, Ray Charles' rendition is mighty fine too!) But as he so often does, in his later years, the ageless Mr. Nelson manages to make it sound all his own.
Concerning the composers of MOONLIGHT IN VERMONT Wiki says
John M. Blackburn (October 19, 1913 in Massillon, Ohio – November 15, 2006 in Newport, Oregon) was a lyricist. He wrote the lyrics to "Moonlight in Vermont".
He was raised in Shaker Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. He traveled with a puppet theater that brought him to Vermont, inspiring the lyrics to "Moonlight in Vermont", the music was composed by Karl Suessdorf. It was introduced by Margaret Whiting in 1944. In 1957, Oscar Peterson recorded Blackburn's "Susquehanna".
[Blackburn lived into his 90s, 24 years longer than his “Vermont” co-composer, according to Wiki]
Karl A. Suessdorf was born in Valdez, Alaska, United States, where his father operated from 1907 to 1917 the Copper Block Buffet, a hotel and saloon that offered electric lights, hot baths and steam, and served men only.[1] At the time of the 1920 U.S. Census (January 1920), Karl was living in Los Angeles with his grandmother.
Suessdorf was best known for his collaboration with lyricist John Blackburn in composing the jazz standard, "Moonlight in Vermont", which was first recorded in 1944 by Billy Butterfield's Orchestra featuring Margaret Whiting. He also composed "I Wish I Knew" (1945) and "Susquehanna" (1957) with Blackburn and "Sea at Monterey" (1957) with Blackburn and Steve Graham.
Suessdorf composed "Christmas Madonna" (1958) and "Coral Sea" (1965) with lyrics by Nick Cea; "Key Largo" (1948) (sung by Marian McPartland) and "She Doesn't Laugh Like You" (1964) with Benny Carter and Leah Worth; and a 1949 hit for Perry Como.
Apart from the many other performers who have recorded Suessdorf's compositions, including Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan's compilation album Music of the Stars, Volume 2: Songs Recorded by Sarah Vaughan included both "Key Largo" and "Moonlight in Vermont".
Suessdorf died at the age of 70 of a heart ailment in Fallbrook, California in 1982.
Thanks gringotroller for sharing. Celebrated this day at Sinatra Family - Forum - "Siriusly Sinatra" - MY FAVORITE VERSION, YOURS TOO? https://sinatrafamily.com/forum/showthread.php/50225-My-Favorite-Version-%28yours-too-%29?p=1307404#post1307404
Mike Weiner
For my money, this has long been the absolutely best version of the song. Something about Willie's handling of it...takes me back to living there and the sweetness, the quiet, the beauty of Vermont.
J P
Moonlight in Vermont may well be the only song that has no rhymes. Most people don't realize that fact because the words flow together so well.
Mark J Young
I played this at so many Weddings and other functions,
There’s something about sitting in the Moonlight especially when you can share the moment with someone special ❣️
Gord Merritt
and people wonder why I love Willie... good god I get shivers.
Inner Visions
I love him, too. What’s not to love?
Matthew Robbins
@Gord Merritt not to be confused with the willies :)
Benjamin Deavenport
I have heard many versions of this standard, all of them make my mind wander, his version no less so. The song is timeless.
Bryan H
When he sings "evening summer breeze", don't you just see it in your minds eye? Doesn't it stir warm memories? Perhaps you blink a little faster, to get rid of the extra moisture.
Tom Tee
He's good. I've had this album more decades than I can remember.
Debra Brown
Love this song sung by Willie Nelson.