The Rules: Pick a Christmas lyric that inspires silly thought and discuss it. Then either tag people or simply invite your readers to chime in with their own silliness.
Feel free to use the "Cousin Eddie" image by copying the following code and replacing the '(' and ')' with '<' and '>' :
(a href="http://markleslie.blogspot.com/2006/12/mark-leslies-silly-christmas-lyric.html")(img src="http://static.flickr.com/136/321235351_90abf16624_m.jpg" alt="Mark Leslie's Silly Christmas Lyric meme" /)
The Song: Santa Claus is Coming to Town (Sometimes written as "Comin'" rather than "Coming.") Written by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie , first sung on Eddie Cantor's radio show in November 1934 and recorded by such artists as Tom Stacks, Tommy Dorsey and Bruce Springsteen.
Lyrics in Question: "You better watch out! You better not cry! You better not pout - I'm telling you why: Santa Claus is coming to town." and "He sees you when you're sleeping. He knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake."
The Comment: The song opens with "you better watch out!" - isn't that enough to immediately put a person on the edge of their seat, not to mention a child who might already be a little bit concerned that a fat stranger in a red suit is going to spend a single night performing a series of benevolent home invasions completely undetected while everybody is sleeping.
Yes, I know he's an altruistic jolly old elf of a man. But it's got to be a little bit disconcerting to consider that no matter how securely you lock your home up, this guy will find a way in - even if there isn't a fireplace to sneak in through.
But not only that -- he's watching you, monitoring you, perhaps even stalking your activities at all times. And he goes completely undetected - like a Facebook lurker who monitors your every activity yet never comments or posts, not even indicating their presence with a simple click of that oh so alluring "Like" button. It doesn't matter if you're awake or sleeping, the man has his eye on you. Not sure about you, but I just got a "Big Brother" kind of shudder thinking about that.
I do remember, even when I was a child and was singing this song, feeling that odd sensation of wondering how this guy could possibly have eyes on all of us. Is he some middle-aged guy with no job living in his parents basement and spending all day on the internet monitoring everyone using millions of hidden nanny cams, his fingers permanently stained from the steady diet of Doritos and Cheetos? (That could explain why he's so large) No, he's more likely a hermit who does live at the North Pole with an army of elves and they use some sort of omnipotence to monitor the world's children, keeping top secret lists of anything you do that might taint your record and reduce your chances to get that gift you were really hoping for.
Seriously -- it's a wonder kids can even sleep after hearing this song. I still have trouble sleeping, wondering if Santa still monitors everyone, and not just the children. (Admittedly, my stocking is always full, so it means I must have done more good than bad each year -- [huge sigh of relief])
What about you? Are you with me on just how scary this song might be for kids? Perhaps it's another song that has always bothered you. Steal this idea for your own blog or share your thoughts in a comment here. Have fun, be goofy. Go ahead, it's okay. But remember, Santa IS watching you . . .
[To read my previous Silly Christmas Lyric commentary, check out 2011 (Frosty the Snowman), 2010 (Here Comes Santa Claus) 2009 (I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus), 2008 (Silent Night), 2007 (Silver Bells) and the original 2006 (The Christmas Song)]
1 comment:
creeper santa indeed!
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