Burl Ives

Have a holly, jolly Christmas;
It's the best time of the year
I don't know if there'll be snow
But have a cup of cheer

Have a holly, jolly Christmas;
And when you walk down the street
Say Hello to friends you know
And everyone you meet

Oh
Ho
The mistletoe


Hung where you can see;

Somebody waits for you;
Kiss her once for me
Have a holly jolly Christmas
And in case you didn't hear

Oh by golly
Have a holly
Jolly Christmas this year

Have a holly, jolly Christmas;
It's the best time of the year
I don't know if there'll be snow
But have a cup of cheer

Have a holly, jolly Christmas;
And when you walk down the street
Say Hello to friends you know
And everyone you meet

Oh
Ho
The mistletoe


Hung where you can see;

Somebody waits for you;
Kiss her once for me
Have a holly jolly Christmas
And in case you didn't hear

Oh by golly
Have a holly
Jolly Christmas this year

Please send some snow
Some snow for Johnny
He wants to build
A big snowman

It was a week just before Christmas
Way down in Louisiana
A little boy was kneeling by his bed
In a manner poised and grand

I listened as he said his prayers
His voice came soft and low
He said, "God tell Saint Nicholas
To send a little snow"

Please send some snow
Some snow for Johnny
He wants to build
A big snowman

I'd like to build a snowman
Like the other children do
I've got an old top hat and a walking cane
Got a big long cigar too

Yes, everything is ready
And I'm all set to go
How can I build a snowman
When I haven't any snow

Please send some snow
Some snow for Johnny
He wants to build
A big snowman

Now, early Christmas morning
Much to his surprise
Snowflakes by the million
Were falling from the skies

Down the stairs and out-of-doors
As fast as he could go
So happy that Saint Nicholas
Had sent a little snow

Thanks for the snow
The snow for Johnny
Now he can build
A big snowman

Thanks for the snow
The snow for Johnny
Now he can build
A big snowman

Thanks for the snow
The snow for Johnny
Now he can build
A big snowman

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen
Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen
But do you recall the most famous reindeer of all

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows
All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
Rudolph with your nose so bright
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight
Then how the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
You'll go down in history

(Repeat)

I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.”

5. ON TOP OF OLD SMOKY

On top of old smokey
All covered with snow
I lost my true lover
From courting too slow
For courting's a pleasure
And parting's a grief
And a false hearted lover
Is worse than a thief
For a thief will just rob you
And take all you save
But a false hearted lover
Will lead you to the grave
And the grave will decay
You and turn you to dust
Not one girl in fifty
A poor boy can trust
They'll hug you and kiss you
And tell you more lies
Than cross lines on a railroad
Or stars in the skies

So come all your maidens
And listen to me
Never place your affections
On a green willow tree
For the leaves they will wither
And the roots they will die
You'll all be forsaken
And never know why.

As I walked out in the streets of Laredo
As I walked out in Laredo one day
I spied a young cowboy all wrapped in white linen
Wrapped in white linen as cold as the clay

I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy
These words he did say as I boldly walked by
Come sit down beside me and hear my sad story
I'm shot in the breast and I know I must die

It was once in the saddle I used to go dashing
Once in the saddle I used to go gay
First down to Rosie's and then to the card house
Got shot in the breast and I'm dying today

Get sixteen gamblers to carry my coffin
Get six jolly cowboys to sing me a song
Take me to the graveyard and lay the sod o'er me
For I'm a young cowboy and I know I've done wrong

Get six jolly cowboys to carry my coffin
Get six pretty maidens to sing me a song
Take me to the valley and lay the sod o'er me
For I'm a young cowboy, I know I've done wrong

Oh beat the drum slowly and play the fife lowly
Play the Dead March as they carry me along
Put bunches of roses all over my coffin
Put roses to deaden the clods as they fall

As I walked out in the streets of Laredo
As I walked out in Laredo one day
I spied a young cowboy all wrapped in white linen
Wrapped in white linen as cold as the clay

He was only a lavender cowboy,
The hairs on his chest they were two
He wanted to follow the heroes,
And do as the he men do

Red, green, and many colored hair tonics
He rubbed on his chest day and night
When he looked in the mirror next morning,
No new hairs grew in sight

He battled for Red Nellie's honor,
He cleaned out a hold-up's nest
He died with two six-guns a-smokin',
But only two hairs on his chest

As I walked out in the streets of Laredo
As I walked out in Laredo one day
I spied a young cowboy all wrapped in white linen
Wrapped in white linen as cold as the clay

I see by your outfit that you are a cowboy
These words he did say as I boldly walked by
Come sit down beside me and hear my sad story
I'm shot in the breast and I know I must die

It was once in the saddle I used to go dashing
Once in the saddle I used to go gay
First down to Rosie's and then to the card house
Got shot in the breast and I'm dying today

Get sixteen gamblers to carry my coffin
Get six jolly cowboys to sing me a song
Take me to the graveyard and lay the sod o'er me
For I'm a young cowboy and I know I've done wrong

Get six jolly cowboys to carry my coffin
Get six pretty maidens to sing me a song
Take me to the valley and lay the sod o'er me
For I'm a young cowboy, I know I've done wrong

Oh beat the drum slowly and play the fife lowly
Play the Dead March as they carry me along
Put bunches of roses all over my coffin
Put roses to deaden the clods as they fall

As I walked out in the streets of Laredo
As I walked out in Laredo one day
I spied a young cowboy all wrapped in white linen
Wrapped in white linen as cold as the clay

ON TOP OF OLD SMOKEY.

ON TOP OF OLD SMOKEY ALL COVERED WITH SNOW
I LOST MY TRUE LOVER FOR COURTING TOO SLOW
FOR COURTING'S A PLEASURE AND PARTING'S A GRIEF
AND A FALSE HEARTED LOVER IS WORSE THAN A THIEF
FOR A THIEF WILL JUST ROB YOU AND TAKE ALL YOU SAVE
BUT A FALSE HEARTED LOVER WILL LEAD YOU TO THE GRAVE
AND THE GRAVE WILL DECAY YOU AND TURN YOU TO DUST
NOT ONE GIRL IN A HUNDRED A POOR BOY CAN TRUST
THEY'LL HUG YOU AND KISS YOU AND TELL YOU MORE LIES
THAN CROSS LINES ON A RAILROAD OR STARS IN THE SKIES
SO COME ALL YOUR MAIDENS AND LISTEN TO ME
NEVER PLACE YOUR AFFECTIONS ON A GREEN WILLOW TREE
FOR THE LEAVES THEY WILL WITHER AND THE ROOTS THEY WILL DIE
YOU'LL ALL BE FORSAKEN AND NEVER KNOW WHY.

5. ON TOP OF OLD SMOKY

On top of old smokey
All covered with snow
I lost my true lover
From courting too slow
For courting's a pleasure
And parting's a grief
And a false hearted lover
Is worse than a thief
For a thief will just rob you
And take all you save
But a false hearted lover
Will lead you to the grave
And the grave will decay
You and turn you to dust
Not one girl in fifty
A poor boy can trust
They'll hug you and kiss you
And tell you more lies
Than cross lines on a railroad
Or stars in the skies

So come all your maidens
And listen to me
Never place your affections
On a green willow tree
For the leaves they will wither
And the roots they will die
You'll all be forsaken
And never know why.