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A Round About Christmas/Christmas Is Coming (the Goose is Getting Fat)
Traditional Christmas song;
ARTIST: "A Round About Christmas" by the Kingston Trio from the CD "The Last Month of the Year"
SHEET MUSIC:
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aApLz6oby7g
Bing Crosby: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjJ1NhiNk8w
DATE: 1899
CATEGORY: Traditional and Public Domain Gospel
RECORDING INFO: Christmas Is Coming (the Goose is Getting Fat)
Visconti, Carl (ed.) / Paint Creek Folklore Society Song Tune Book, Paint Creek, Sof (1986), p41
Glazer, Tom / Treasury of Songs for Children, Songs Music, Fol (1964/1981), p 40
Kingston Trio. Last Month of the Year, Capitol T 1445, LP (1960), trk# B.04 (Round About Christmas)
OTHER NAMES: "Please Put A Penny in the Old Man's Hat"
RELATED TO:
SOURCES: Folk Index;
NOTES: "A Round About Christmas" or "Christmas Is Coming, the Goose Is Getting Fat" is a traditional Christmas song done by Harry Belafonte in 1958 and the Kingston Trio in 1960. "Christmas Is Coming, the Goose Is Getting Fat" was redone with a new arrangment (same melody, some new words by Frank Luther in 1953) and performed by Bing Crosby (this version should be considered copyrighted but is included here). John Denver also recorded a traditional version.
"A Round About Christmas" by the Kingston Trio appeared on the CD "The Last Month of the Year." Since the song is a "round," the title is simply a play on words. Here's the Ballad index info:
Ballad Index- Christmas Is Coming, the Goose Is Getting Fat
DESCRIPTION: "Christmas is coming, the goose is 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."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1947 (Baring-Gould)
KEYWORDS: money bird food Christmas
FOUND IN: Britain(England) US
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Baring-Gould-MotherGoose #419, p. 195, "(Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat)"
DT, XMASCOME*
ADDITIONAL: Peter and Iona Opie, _I Saw Esau: Traditional Rhymes of Youth_, #153, "(Christmas Is Coming)" (1 text)
Notes: This seems to be rare in tradition, and yet *I* learned it that way, in a version still close to the British, since it mentions ha'pennies (which I first heard as "hay-pennies," which made no sense at all). So I'm filing it on the assumption it's going to be collected in tradition in the future, at least. - RBW
A ROUND ABOUT CHRISTMAS (Please Put A Penny in the Old Man's Hat) Kingston Trio
Christmas is coming,
The goose is getting fat.
Please put a penny in the old man's hat.
If you haven't got a penny, then a ha' penny will do.
If you haven't got a ha' penny, then God bless you!
Info from Wiki: "Christmas Is Coming" is a nursery rhyme and Christmas carol (frequently sung as a round) with lyrics 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!
Christmas is coming: the lyrics
Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat
Please to 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 charitable lyrics nursery rhyme!
The lyrics of this song were to associate the Christmas feast with geese which were traditional English Christmas fayre. The meaning that was conveyed to a child was that the festive period was where each should give to charity, according to their means...even if they could only give their blessing!
Christmas is Coming rhyme: origins & history
The musical version of the rhyme was popularized by The Kingston Trio as "A Round About Christmas", on their album The Last Month of the Year. The rhyme also became the basis for the song '"Christmas Is a-Comin'", re-written by Frank Luther and performed by Bing Crosby, among others; this song contains the following lyrics:
INTRO: When I'm feeling blue, when I'm feeling low,
I start to think about the happiest man I know.
Now he doesn't mind the snow, he doesn't mind the rain,
But all December you will hear him at your window pane,
Singing again and again and again and again and again:
Christmas is a coming and the bells begin to ring,
The holly's in the window and the birds begin to sing.
I don't need to worry, and I don't need to fret,
And the more you give at Christmastime the more you get.
God bless you, gentlemen, God bless you!
The more you give at Christmastime the more you get.
Christmas is a coming, the egg is in the nog.
Please give a friendly man a friendly little dog.
If you haven't got a friendly dog, a friendly cat will do,
If you haven't got a friendly cat may God bless you!
God bless you, gentlemen, God bless you!
If you haven't got a friendly cat may God bless you!
Christmas is a coming, the lights are on the tree.
How about a turkey leg for dear old me?
If you haven't got a turkey leg, a turkey wing will do.
If you haven't got a turkey wing may God bless you!
God bless you, gentlemen, God bless you!
If you haven't got a turkey wing may God bless you!
Christmas is a coming, the cider's in the keg.
If I had a mug of cider I wouldn't have to beg.
If you haven't got a mug of cider, half a mug will do.
If you haven't got half a mug, may God bless you!
God bless you, gentlemen, God bless you!
If you haven't got half a mug, may God bless you!
If you haven't got a thing for me, may God bless you!
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Is_Coming"
Christmas is a'comin' and the goose is gettin' fat
Please to put a penny in an old man's hat.
If you haven't got a penny then a ha'penny will do.
If you haven't got a ha'penny then God bless you.
Chorus: God bless you, gentlemen; God bless you!
If you haven't got a ha'penny then God bless you.
CHRISTMAS IS COMING (Traditional) Harry Belafonte - 1958
Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat
Please put a penny in the old man's hat
Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat
Please put a penny in the old man's hat
Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat
Please put a penny in the old man's hat
Christmas is coming, the goose is 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
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