Discription of the Christmas Carols

CHRISTMAS CAROLS "I" to "N"

Here is a collection of Christmas carols and season songs in basic text format for easy downloading. Click on a title to open the lyrics in a new window. From there you can print or save the file as you wish.

1. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
   Music by Jean Baptiste Caulkin, lyrics by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Poem written by Longfellow on Christmas Day, 1864, expressing his despondence over the Civil War. After the war ended, the poem was modified to represent hope, and was published with Caulkin's music in 1872. The verses which refer specifically to the war are usually omitted from hymnals. Since then, the lyrics have also been sung to various melodies.

2. I Said the Donkey
   See notes for “Friendly Beasts, The”.

3. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
   Music and lyrics by Tommie P. Connor. A novelty song composed in England in 1952 and recorded by Jimmy Boyd in the US. The 12-year-old Boyd was already a child star in California, having performed on numerous radio and television programs, but even the executives at Columbia Records were stunned when the funny little tune immediately sold over 2 million copies. The song has been recorded by numerous artists, and most, like the original Boyd recording, omit the opening stanza. The 1980s rendition by John Mellancamp is probably more widely played today. However, Boyd's original recording still sells and has topped 60 million copies worldwide.

4. I Saw Three Ships
   Traditional music and lyrics. An English folk song of unknown origin. The song we know today was originally published in the 1833 Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern . The song has been published with many versions and various verses. Its repetitive nature makes it less appealing as a recording, although a “new age” version was released by Sting in 1994.

5. I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas
   Music and lyrics by John Rox. A novelty song composed in 1950 and recorded in 1953. It was sung by 11-year-old Gayla Peevey and sold as a fund-raiser for the Oklahoma City Zoo's efforts to purchase a hippopotamus. It was subsequently released nationally by Columbia Records, which assured that the zoo would get its hippo.

6. I Wonder as I Wander
   Traditional music and lyrics. An American folk song, performed and recorded by John Jacob Niles. There is some controversy over its origin. After it became popular, Niles claimed to have written the song years before, based on an Appalachian spiritual. The song is often performed with soloist and choir.

7. Il est Né, le Divin Enfant (Fr)
   Traditional music and lyrics. A French folk song first published in the 19th century, but believed to be much older. The melody may be derived from a Normandy hunting song. There are many English translations, “He is born, the divine Christ child”, but the song is usually performed in French, especially in school Christmas concerts.

8. I'll Be Home for Christmas
   Music by Walter Kent, lyrics by Kim Gannon. Released in 1942 during the height of World War II, the song obviously drew on the sentiments of parents and spouses with loved ones overseas. The lyrics are comprised of only eight short lines, but Bing Crosby's recording made it an instant hit.

9. I'm Gettin' Nuttin' for Christmas
   Music and lyrics by Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett. A novelty song composed in 1955 and recorded later that year by two different bands. The Art Mooney Orchestra featured Barry Gordon, and the song was also released by Ricky Zahnd and the Blue Jeaners. The song continues to get play on oldies radio stations.

10. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
    Music by Richard Storrs Willis, lyrics by Edmund Sears. The poem was published in the Christian Register in Boston in 1849. The music was added the following year. An alternative melody, adapted by Arthur Sullivan from an English folk song is sometimes used for the same lyrics.

11. Italian Christmas Donkey, The (It)
    See notes for “Dominick the Donkey”.

12. It's Beginning to Look
    Music and lyrics by Meredith Willson. Composed in 1951 by the man best known for his stage musical, The Music Man , and released by Perry Como, whose recording remains the standard. It is one of the few songs in the Christmas genre to highlight urban imagery.

13. It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
    Music and lyrics by Eddie Pola and George Wyle. Composed in 1963 and recorded that year by Andy Williams. The song has been recorded by various artists, most notably Johnny Mathis.

14. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring (/Ge)
    Music by Johann Sebastian Bach, lyrics by Martin Jahn. A chorale from Bach's 1723 cantata, Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben , transcribed for piano by Myra Hess in 1926. The English translation we know today was done by the poet, Robert Bridges. Bach wrote “Jesu” with a full intrumental accompaniment, but today most people know it as an organ solo, performed as a solemn melody for Christmas, weddings, and funerals.

15. Jesus, Our Brother
    See notes for “Friendly Beasts, The”.

16. Jingle Bell Rock
    Music and lyrics by Joseph Beal, James Boothe, et al.Recorded by Bobby Helms in 1957. Despite its title, the song's tune, and especially Helms's rendition, is more country than rock. It was originally released just days before Christmas, but it continued to gain popularity in the years to follow. Helms re-recorded the song several times, and it has been recorded by numerous other artists as well.

17. Jingle Bells
    Music and lyrics by James Pierpont. Composed in 1857 as a tribute to the annual Boston area sleigh races. It's connection to Christmas is purely circumstantial with regard to snow and sleigh and their natural association with Santa Claus. However, the rarely-heard additional verses unmistakably reveal the song's original theme.

18. Jolly Old Saint Nicholas
    Traditional music and lyrics. American folk song of unknown origin.

19. Joy to the World
    Music by Lowell Mason, lyrics by Isaac Watts. Composed from Watts's 1719 adaptation of Psalm 98, set to music by Mason in 1836. Mason was an accomplished musician, and his range of composition went from European classical to “Mary Had a Little Lamb”. Mason's influence on American music has remained controversial — whether he enabled or stifled its development. However, “Joy to the World” has become one of the most well-known, well-loved, oft-performed Christmas carols of all time.

20. Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
    Music by Jule Stine, lyrics by Sammy Cahn. Composed in 1945 and recorded by Vaughn Monroe the following year, when it reached number one on the Billboard chart. The song has been recorded by numerous artists in a variety of music styles. One notable recording that still gets a lot of radio play is Dean Martin's rendition from his 1959 A Winter Romance album. “Let It Snow” is another example of a snow song that makes no mention of Christmas but is indelibly linked to the holiday.

21. Little Drummer Boy, The
    Music and lyrics by Katherine K. Davis. Composed in 1941 as “The Carol of the Drum”. The song didn't achieve much popularity until it was recorded by the Trapp Family singers in 1955. Harry Simeone later produced an arrangement for his self-named Chorale, the rendition of which is considered the standard. In 1968 the story was expanded for an animated television special.

22. Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming
    Traditional music and lyrics. A 15th century German folk song, Es ist ein Ros' Entsprungen , first published in the Speyer Hymnal of 1599. The contemporary harmonies were added by Michael Praetorius in 1609. The melody has been used by Johannes Brahms and others. The English translation evolved during the late 19th century. The song was featured in the 1971 movie, Love Story .

23. Lullay, Lullay
    See notes for “Coventry Carol, The”.

24. Mamacita (Sp)
    See notes for “Donde Esta Santa Claus”.

25. Mary's Boy Child
    Music and lyrics by Jester Hairston. A Caribbean style Christmas carol recorded separately by Harry Belafonte and Mahalia Jackson in 1956. Belafonte had risen to the top of the music world with his Calypso album released earlier that year. He re-recorded “Mary's Boy Child” in 1962, which has become the standard.

26. Merry Christmas Darling
    Music by Richard Carpenter, lyrics by Frank Pooler. Composed for and recorded by The Carpenters in 1970. The record was re-released in 1974 and 1977. They re-recorded the song the following year for their Christmas Portraits album, which is the rendition that usually gets played on radio.

27. My Favorite Things
    Music by Richard Rogers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Composed for the 1959 stage musical, The Sound of Music , and made popular by Julie Andrews in the 1965 film version. The song has no connection to Christmas, other than brief references to winter. In the film, the song is actually sung during a summer thunderstorm. The song has been recorded by various artists, notably Eddie Fisher and Tony Bennett.

28. My Two Front Teeth
    See notes for “All I Want for Christmas”.

29. Night Before Christmas, The
    Music by Johnny Marks, lyrics adapted from Clement Moore. Johnny Marks abridged Moore's poem, “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, into this song in 1952. The song is known primarily from Rosemary Clooney's recording and from school choral concerts.

30. Noël
    See notes for “First Noël, The”.

31. Nuttin' for Christmas
    See notes for I'm Gettin' Nuttin' for Christmas.