The Story Behind Lainey Wilson’s ‘Watermelon Moonshine’ Lyrics

Listening to Lainey Wilson’s “Watermelon Moonshine” can make you taste summer, reminisce about your first love, and remember every heartbreak that came with it. This nostalgic country hit has captured hearts since a lot can relate to the sweetness and bitterness of realizing young love isn’t always meant to last. One of Wilson’s most successful singles to date, it’s the kind of song that makes you want to stop what you’re doing and let the lyrics transport you back to simpler days.   

In this post, we’ll be checking out the real story behind the lyrics, the inspiration, the songwriting process, and the personal memories that Wilson drew from that turned “Watermelon Moonshine” into the chart-topper that it is.  

Wilson collaborated with Josh Kear and Jordan Schmidt to create the track, or, as Wilson described the writing session, the discussion about “those little flings that we had growing up.” The “Wait in the Truck” singer also shared that “everybody that I was writing the song with knew exactly that feeling that we were talking about.” With lyrics, “I was his and every bit of that boy was mine / Too young to know what love was / But we were learnin' on a sweet buzz / There's never nothin' like the first time,” it’s easy to relate to this universal theme of falling in love while still young and naive.   

Produced by Jay Joyce, “Watermelon Moonshine” was first released as a promotional single, alongside the announcement of her fourth studio album, Bell Bottom Country.  

The track became Wilson’s third chart-topper and reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart. It broke a two-year record that Wilson previously held; it was the first chart-topper by a solo female artist since “Things a Man Oughta Know.” The song also did well across multiple charts. It peaked at No. 8 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, reached No. 21 on the US Billboard Hot 100, No. 7 on the US Hot Country Songs, and No. 1 on the Canada Country (Billboard) chart.  

In an interview, Wilson shared how significant the track is to her: “This song embodies what country music means to me, creating a timeless story that will resonate with people for generations to come. This song is about the crazy, young, nostalgic love we all hope to experience.” She also described it as a song about “young, wild, crazy love” and that time in our lives “when nothing else matters.”  

She also explained it as the time in our lives when we’re sure about being in love, when we argue with our parents who believe we don’t really know what love is. The singer-songwriter also admitted that the track helps her stay grounded: “I feel like I'm in a place in my life right now where I have to make a conscious decision every single day to remember where I come from.” She added, “During this busy season of life that I'm in, I want to write about things that make me feel grounded.”   

“Watermelon Moonshine” became a significant song in Wilson’s catalog not only because it performed well on the charts, but because it highlights the Nashville native’s ability to create “timeless stories that will resonate with people for generations to come.”  

Now, scroll up and listen to "Watermelon Moonshine" with a new understanding of the personal meaning behind this amazing track.