Same Old Moon

By Jack Shannon

“Same Old Moon,” written by Jack Shannon, stands out from more traditional bluegrass subject matters of trains, murder, and whippoorwills. Sweet, thought-provoking, and a touch whimsical, the song was recorded most notably by Jim Hurst (Looking Glass, 2014). Shannon also recorded it on his album, The Bloomingdale Boys (2018), which Hurst produced.

The song has become a show staple for Hurst, whose live audiences grow still when he performs it, as he did for a recent outdoor crowd at Lexington, Kentucky’s Moondance Amphitheater.  “This song is all about the lyric. At the end of the song, I take the volume down much like I recorded it,” Hurst said. “As it fades out, you could hear a pin drop. It’s so quiet, and I can hear people say, ‘Wow,’ and then they just wait until it completely fades out to applaud or make a sound.”

Indeed, the lyrics captivate from the start, pulling listeners into scenes from long ago in a way that creates a sense of kinship between far-removed, historic characters and us modern-day drifters and dreamers (Christopher Columbus saw it glow / As he made his way across the sea / In 1492 how was he to know / that someday it would shine on you and me).

“Other musicians love it, too,” noted Hurst, who used intricate guitar work to add an “ethereal, starry night feel” to the song. When he introduces the song, Hurst makes a point to credit Shannon. “I’m a songwriter, too. I think everybody should know that there’s an originator involved in what they’re hearing. Even if it’s public domain, somebody created it. I want people to know that Jack Shannon wrote that song.”

Hurst also talked Shannon up to fan after fan one year during the biggest week in bluegrass. “At IBMA World of Bluegrass, it’s a bluegrass business conference,” explained Hurst, who brought Shannon along to the event. “So, we’re there in the trade show conference, and I’ve got my table and CDs, and many people come up to say ‘Man, I love that ‘Same Old Moon,’ and Jack’s sitting there hearing that, and not jumping up to say that he wrote it, so I did! I’d say, ‘You like that? Well here’s the man that wrote it.’ I bet that year, I introduced him to 40, 50 people who commented on that very song.”

Shannon has been touched by the amount of people—at IBMA and elsewhere—who have commented on how much the song means to them. “The song has never charted as far as I know,” he said, “But somehow, it’s been a magical song that has affected people.”

Hurst and Shannon met at a guitar workshop and house concert that featured Hurst. They quickly became friends and, soon after, collaborated in another house concert that opened with Shannon and his original songs. “I learned that he’s a stellar songwriter,” said Hurst. “There were several of his songs that I enjoyed, but ‘I Picked the Wildwood Flower’ and ‘Same Old Moon’ were two that I first fell in love with. At the end of the night, I asked him if he’d mind if I tried my hand at recording them.”

At that time, Shannon had never had one of his songs cut by another artist. “I could hardly believe it,” recalled Shannon of Hurst’s request. “It was a dream come true, and I was so excited when I heard Jim’s beautiful rendition.”

Hurst added, “I decided to put it out there because I think everybody should hear the song. It allows people to consider more than they normally would. The song makes me appreciate not only the moon, but also the fact that we’re one person at a time on this planet.”

That same type of moonlit realization led Shannon to write the enchanting song. “I was driving home one evening, when I came across a place down in the river bottoms where I grew up. It was a big, full-moon night,” he recalled. “I could see way out across the river bottoms, and I began to wonder what it must have looked like when the Native Americans were there. I could almost see this Native American settlement beneath the moon, and then it struck me: the moon I’m looking at tonight is the same moon they looked at. No matter who or where you are – or when you walked the earth – we all share the same old moon. I went home, and the song just came out.”

Alongside remarkable, historic things done beneath the moon (e.g., Christopher Columbus, ocean adventurer, and even the wise men), Shannon juxtaposed a common little boy and his simple viewing of the night sky. Both Shannon and Hurst named the “little boy” line a favorite:  Little boy lying in the grass looks to the sky / he says Daddy I don’t know if cows can jump that high / He keeps on watching as he falls asleep / like so many other children around the world.

“A lot of times when I do that line, people smile,” said Shannon.  Hurst added, “That little boy is interested. He’s lying there, and he’s heard these things that kids will hear, and he’s figuring it out … a cow can’t jump over the moon. There are so many children around the world who could have been doing that same thing when and where their moon is out.”

“Same Old Moon,” a solo write for Shannon in 2010, was also one of the first songs he ever wrote. Before he got into songwriting, Shannon spent years playing in bars and groups. “One day, I just decided I was done with that,” he said. “When I was doing that, I wasn’t writing, but when I stopped, it kind of flipped a switch and changed my life. I started writing and never stopped.”

The song has opened doors for Shannon, who has since had cuts with Sideline (“Old Guitar Case”), Mike Mitchell (“Calling Me”), Wilson Banjo Co. (“Sadie Danced A Hole In Her Stocking,”), and others. Hurst has also cut Shannon’s “Sunnyside Gardens” and the Hurst-Shannon cowrite, “Back To The One.” 

Shannon has gained recognition in other ways, such as earning second place in the 2018 Circa Blue Fest Songwriting Contest for his song, “Dirt Road.”

Hurst was instrumental in helping get Shannon more recognition as a songwriter when he produced The Bloomingdale Boys album. “I wanted to help him get his songs out there,” said Hurst. “Now, he’s starting to get some cuts, so mission accomplished. I’m happy for him. He’s a talented songwriter and a good guy, too.”

“Same Old Moon” is a song that matters, according to Hurst. “I would bet that every listener is affected by it,” he explained. “To me, that’s the mark of a great song. I love dance songs and fun songs, and I do those, too, but songs that really make you stop and think … those stand out. ‘Same Old Moon’ is that kind of song.”

Shannon enjoys cowriting with other writers and artists. Contact him at [email protected].