The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Hello?
Hi, Merry Christmas, sweetnin'
How are you?
Oh, I'm cooking, the bells ringin', people are running back and forth
Coming in and out, the kids are here, you know
Uh, cooking everything
Okay
Ooh, my food is burning, I'll call you back
Oh, baby, yeah
Ah, darlin', darlin', darlin', baby
Hang all the mistletoe
I'm gonna get to know you better this Christmas
And as we trim the tree
How much fun it's gonna be together this Christmas
Fireside is blazing bright
And we're caroling through the night, yeah
And this Christmas will be, oh
A very special Christmas
Oh yeah, for me, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Hi Eddie, my son
Sing, Ed
Presents and cards are here
My world is filled with cheer and you (oh yeah), this Christmas
And as I look around (oh yeah)
Your eyes outshine the town, oh, they do, this Christmas
The fireside is blazing bright
Said we're caroling through the night
Eddie, you mustn't upstage mom with those high notes
Shake a hand, shake a hand, meet a friend, meet a friend yo
Baby
This Christmas
Fireside is blazing bright
And we're caroling through the night
And this Christmas will be
A very, very, very special Christmas
For me, yes it will
This is what we got to do, gang
Oh, oh, oh for me
Oh, this Christmas
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
This Christmas
If you're sitting somewhere and you got the blues
Think about the man who ain't got no shoes, yeah, yeah
Hang on
Hold on until Christmas
Higher, higher
Hang on
Oh, to Christmas
Hang on
Hold on until Christmas
Yeah, hold onto your faith 'til Christmas
And after
For long after
Yeah, yeah
Yeah
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
This Christmas
This Christmas, this Christmas
Well, well, well, well, well, well
Hold on, hold on
Until Christmas
You gotta gold on
Merry Christmas, Ma
And when the greens gon' be ready?
Merry Christmas, Eddie
The greens are almost ready, everything is on the stove
But don't look for no chittlins this year
Them chittlins almost killed me last year
Hi, Merry Christmas, sweetnin'
How are you?
Oh, I'm cooking, the bells ringin', people are running back and forth
Coming in and out, the kids are here, you know
Uh, cooking everything
Okay
Ooh, my food is burning, I'll call you back
Oh, baby, yeah
Ah, darlin', darlin', darlin', baby
Hang all the mistletoe
I'm gonna get to know you better this Christmas
And as we trim the tree
How much fun it's gonna be together this Christmas
Fireside is blazing bright
And we're caroling through the night, yeah
And this Christmas will be, oh
A very special Christmas
Oh yeah, for me, yeah
Yeah, yeah
Hi Eddie, my son
Sing, Ed
Presents and cards are here
My world is filled with cheer and you (oh yeah), this Christmas
And as I look around (oh yeah)
Your eyes outshine the town, oh, they do, this Christmas
The fireside is blazing bright
Said we're caroling through the night
Eddie, you mustn't upstage mom with those high notes
Shake a hand, shake a hand, meet a friend, meet a friend yo
Baby
This Christmas
Fireside is blazing bright
And we're caroling through the night
And this Christmas will be
A very, very, very special Christmas
For me, yes it will
This is what we got to do, gang
Oh, oh, oh for me
Oh, this Christmas
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
This Christmas
If you're sitting somewhere and you got the blues
Think about the man who ain't got no shoes, yeah, yeah
Hang on
Hold on until Christmas
Higher, higher
Hang on
Oh, to Christmas
Hang on
Hold on until Christmas
Yeah, hold onto your faith 'til Christmas
And after
For long after
Yeah, yeah
Yeah
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
This Christmas
This Christmas, this Christmas
Well, well, well, well, well, well
Hold on, hold on
Until Christmas
You gotta gold on
Merry Christmas, Ma
And when the greens gon' be ready?
Merry Christmas, Eddie
The greens are almost ready, everything is on the stove
But don't look for no chittlins this year
Them chittlins almost killed me last year
Lyrics submitted by Mellow_Harsher
This Christmas Lyrics as written by Nadine Mckinnor Donny Edward Hathaway
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Christmas Ain't Christmas (Without the One You Love) song meanings
Add Your Thoughts
0 Comments
- No Comments
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
No Surprises
Radiohead
Radiohead
Same ideas expressed in Fitter, Happier are expressed in this song. We're told to strive for some sort of ideal life, which includes getting a good job, being kind to everyone, finding a partner, getting married, having a couple kids, living in a quiet neighborhood in a nice big house, etc. But in Fitter, Happier the narrator(?) realizes that it's incredibly robotic to live this life. People are being used by those in power "like a pig in a cage on antibiotics"--being pacified with things like new phones and cool gadgets and houses while being sucked dry. On No Surprises, the narrator is realizing how this life is killing him slowly. In the video, his helmet is slowly filling up with water, drowning him. But he's so complacent with it. This is a good summary of the song. This boring, "perfect" life foisted upon us by some higher powers (not spiritual, but political, economic, etc. politicians and businessmen, perhaps) is not the way to live. But there is seemingly no way out but death. He'd rather die peacefully right now than live in this cage. While our lives are often shielded, we're in our own protective bubbles, or protective helmets like the one Thom wears, if we look a little harder we can see all the corruption, lies, manipulation, etc. that is going on in the world, often run by huge yet nearly invisible organizations, corporations, and 'leaders'. It's a very hopeless song because it reflects real life.
Page
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.