Christmas Is Coming

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For the 2017 film, see Christmas Is Coming (film).

"Christmas Is Coming" is a nursery rhyme and Christmas song frequently sung as a round. It is listed as number 12817 in the Roud Folk Song Index.

The most famous version goes as follows:

Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat
Please put a penny in the old man's hat
If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do
If you haven't got a ha'penny, then God bless you!

The traditional version of this song uses the melody of the English dance tune "Country Gardens", but other melodies exist. Edith Nesbit Bland composed a popular tune for the lyrics.[1][2] A few field recordings were made of traditional versions of the song,[3][4][5] including one sung by a Jack Elliot of Birtley, Durham to Reg Hall in the early 1960s,[6] which can be heard online via the British Library Sound Archive.[7]

The Kingston Trio recorded the song as "A Round About Christmas", on their album The Last Month of the Year.[1][8] A calypso sounding version was featured on the album John Denver and the Muppets: A Christmas Together and a loose, jazzy piano-based arrangement was featured in the musical score of A Charlie Brown Christmas.

The rhyme also became the basis for the song "Christmas Is a-Comin'", written by Frank Luther and performed by Bing Crosby, among others.

See also[]

  • Soul cake#Songs

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Origins: Christmas is Coming [revised, updated 11-12-14]". TreasuryIslands. 2012-12-13. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
  2. ^ "CHRISTMAS IS COMING lyrics ***". www.carols.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
  3. ^ "Black Puddings (Roud Folksong Index S431207)". The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  4. ^ "Christmas is Coming (Roud Folksong Index S374113)". The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  5. ^ "Christmas Time is Coming (Roud Folksong Index S404480)". The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  6. ^ "Christmas is Coming the Geese is Getting Fat (Roud Folksong Index S335124)". The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  7. ^ "Christmas is coming the geese is getting fat - Reg Hall English, Irish and Scottish Folk Music and Customs Collection - World and traditional music | British Library - Sounds". sounds.bl.uk. Retrieved 2020-11-10.
  8. ^ "Christmas Is Coming – Nursery Rhymes". allnurseryrhymes.com. Retrieved 2017-12-13.


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