We Like These Christmas Lyrics

At 25bikes, we like words. Every day, we use words and media to help businesses tell their stories. We love how words can explain, or inspire, or educate, or motivate.

We also love a good song lyric. After all, without words a song is just an instrumental. We have always felt a connection to song lyrics, because a clever use of words can lift a song from ordinary to spectacular.

We started to think of Christmas songs we like because of the lyrics -- songs that include unexpected, clever or amusing rhymes.

So here is our completely unofficial, not-in-any-specific-order, list of 6 Christmas songs with great lyrics. Why did we stop at 6? We haven't finished our Christmas wrapping yet.

1. “I Yust Go Nuts At Christmas” by Yogi Yorgesson:

- Comedian Harry Stewart created the spoof “Swedish” character Yogi Yorgesson, recording this comic song in 1949. While we appreciate his dedication to replacing every “j” with a “y” (with words like yust, yoint, yolly, and yerk), we are especially fond of the lyric “my head is exploding // my mouth tastes like a pickle // I step on a skate // and fall on a tricycle”.

2. “Dominick the Donkey” by Lou Monte:

- This novelty song depicts a Christmas donkey who helps Santa Claus get presents to Italian children because “reindeer cannot climb the hills of Italy”. In our opinion, any song that includes a donkey impersonation (“Hee Haw, Hee Haw!”) is immediately worth a listen. But you’ve got a real winner when you include the rhyme “children sing and clap their hands // and Dominick starts to dance // they talk Italian to him // and he even understands”.

3. “I Hate Christmas” by Oscar The Grouch:

- Included on Sesame Street’s 1975 Christmas album, Oscar lists off everything that annoys him about Christmas (in his own words, all that ``slushy nonsense``). We have always loved Oscar because his trademark annoyance hides a more lovable persona. Our favourite rhyme is this trifecta: ``Christmas bells play loud and strong // hurts my ears all that ding dong // besides, it goes on much too long".

4. "Little Saint Nick" by The Beach Boys:

- This is a song whose entire meaning changed for us once we really payed attention to the lyrics. We always thought the song was written about Santa, but it's actually an ode to his sleigh. This makes sense once you find out that the tune is pretty much "Little Deuce Coupe" with different words. This rhyme stays true to the Beach Boys' car themes of the day: "She's candy apple red // with a ski for a wheel // and when Santa hits the gas // man, just watch her peel"

5. "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" by Elmo 'n' Patsy:

- We always thought this song was recorded by The Irish Rovers; but, Google tells us that their version is a cover of the original by husband and wife duo Elmo 'n' Patsy. This song paints the picture of a lost Grandma wandering through the snow after drinking a bit too much spiked eggnog. She meets her demise, thanks to wayward reindeer. It's filled with colourful imagery such as "Now the goose is on the table // and the pudding made of fig // and the blue and silver candles // that would just have matched the hair in Grandma's wig".

6. "I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas" by Gayla Peevey

- The very definition of a novelty song, this track stays true to what it is: a silly, funny little tune. We give them full credit for discovering that "rhinoceroses" and "hippopotamuses" rhyme. But our favourite line remains "Ma says a hippo // would eat me up but then // teacher says a hippo is // a vegetarian".

A song isn't a song without music. But it gets better once it has words. Merry Christmas from 25bikes!