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Christmas Song Lyrics
Once in Royal David's City stood a lonely cattle shed,
where a mother held her baby.
You'd do well to remember the things He later said.
When you're stuffing yourselves at the Christmas parties,
you'll just laugh when I tell you to take a running jump.
You're missing the point I'm sure does not need making
that Christmas spirit is not what you drink.
So how can you laugh when your own mother's hungry,
and how can you smile when the reasons for smiling are wrong?
And if I just messed up your thoughtless pleasures,
remember, if you wish, this is just a Christmas song.
(Hey! Santa! Pass us that bottle, will you?)
where a mother held her baby.
You'd do well to remember the things He later said.
When you're stuffing yourselves at the Christmas parties,
you'll just laugh when I tell you to take a running jump.
You're missing the point I'm sure does not need making
that Christmas spirit is not what you drink.
So how can you laugh when your own mother's hungry,
and how can you smile when the reasons for smiling are wrong?
And if I just messed up your thoughtless pleasures,
remember, if you wish, this is just a Christmas song.
(Hey! Santa! Pass us that bottle, will you?)
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I think this song is telling the listener that Christmas is more than a time for "thoughtless pleasures," but more about the true spirit of Christmas, and what it is all about.
A great little song.
its funny that a song written in 1970 still rings so true today as the true meaning of christmas gets lost further in commercialism, even if not a christian yourself the idea of giving/helping each other and wanting peace on earth not just christmas parties and getting hammered is a great sentiment.
one of my fave tull songs
i agree plus its a great song
This is "Christmas Song," not "Christmas Story."
This is about the true meaning of Christmas. The true meaning of Christmas does not involve drunken parties or Santa Claus.
This is surely a song to remind the listener of the true meaning of Christmas. Ian Anderson has expressed, in earlier releases, his discontent with organized religion, for instance the song My God, from Aqualung seems to implicate the Catholic Church, and his experience in it, as offensive to him... The Catholic Church has come a long way from some of its perceived disciplined ways, however, and now practices more compassionate and Christ-like attitude, which I personally welcome. Or maybe I'm just grown up now and can now see its intent and value. But I digress...
To understand where Anderson comes from with this song, I have to assume that he is a spiritual person, cherishing the content of the bible and frustrated by human influence and twisting of the word. As a purest, he seems to be disgusted with how commercial interests and self serving humanity have manipulated the meaning of its teachings for various alternate purposes. I believe Ian Anderson to be a purest, and someone who not only ignores, but rejects all of those entities that try to taint the truth of something as important to him as the teachings of the bible and the true meaning of Christmas.
And if this is all too uncomfortable for you to accept, then remember that it's just a Christmas song. You may resume your selfish pleasure...
Kind of a dark song, but enlightening.
Sorry, but you're all full of crap. Like Anderson himself when he wrote and recorded it. What a mean-spirited and self-righteous hypocrite. How does he know that nobody else "understands" the "meaning" of Christmas? This is one of the most mean-spirited and unwarrantedly harsh attacks ever directed at gullible rock fans. It ranks up there with Kurt Cobain sneering at his devoted listeners that he's deep and they're all shallow ("All Apologies": "I wish I was like you, easily amused"). Thanks, a-hole. Just what I need, gratuitous insults. Go f--- yourself, you hypocritical self-righteous jerk; you never ate a Christmas dinner? Give me a frickin' break. And you idiots writing this nonsense, encouraging his jerkiness, you're frickin' clueless. For your information, Ian Anderson is a successful businessman and capitalist. I've nothing against his making money; but he can spare me the lectures about being a selfish and thoughtless sinner, acting as if he's more virtuous/holy/Christly-than-thou.
You totally miss the point of this song, Ian isn't saying that parties and feasts are BAD things, they're just not what the holiday SHOULD be about. It should be about giving and helping those with less, rather than gorging and living gratuitously. It is making the point that all this commercialism and bullshit where people spend hundreds on champagne and booze and roast turkeys while their mothers starve strays about as far from the meaning of Christmas as possible. I fail to see how the fact that he has become wealthy from his trade somehow makes his statements any...
You totally miss the point of this song, Ian isn't saying that parties and feasts are BAD things, they're just not what the holiday SHOULD be about. It should be about giving and helping those with less, rather than gorging and living gratuitously. It is making the point that all this commercialism and bullshit where people spend hundreds on champagne and booze and roast turkeys while their mothers starve strays about as far from the meaning of Christmas as possible. I fail to see how the fact that he has become wealthy from his trade somehow makes his statements any less true. It may not apply to you 100%, but like most things in life take what you can from it. I think it drives home a great message.
I also think that the ending bit "hey santa, pass us that bottle will ya?" Is kind of him saying that he is just as guilty of it as anyone, but that doesn't mean he can't write about it and make his point. There is hypocrisy and then there is falling short of perfection.
I also think that the ending bit "hey santa, pass us that bottle will ya?" Is kind of him saying that he is just as guilty of it as anyone, but that doesn't mean he can't write about it and make his point. There is hypocrisy and then there is falling short of perfection.
"That Christmas Spirit is not what you drink". That line, in my opinion, is pure genius. He's basically saying that most people think Christmas is a time for drinking, overeating and presents, when the true "spirit" is the religious aspects, not the alcohol. There are some interesting points about how the meaning of Christmas has been corrupted from a religious holiday celebrating Jesus' birth into a time for presents, booze and food, which I think is the "point that does not need making". (Plus that ending bit sums up most of the song, with the Santa and the Alcohol and all)
He owns several salmon farms, f'rinstance; last I checked, this is not in the vegetarian book of etiquette, nor are these for-profit enterprises being utilized for, say, Somalian famine relief. If you think this song isn't crap and Anderson is a mean little hypocrite, you're idiots, and I've a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you.
I think that Ian Anderson is just holding up a mirror for us here. I see nothing in the song that speaks of the singers superiority to his audience. He's just making sure that we don't go off a-partying without thinking about those who have less or what the true meaning of the Holiday season is supposed to be about.
I think that Ian Anderson is just holding up a mirror for us here. I see nothing in the song that speaks of the singers superiority to his audience. He's just making sure that we don't go off a-partying without thinking about those who have less or what the true meaning of the Holiday season is supposed to be about.