Deck the halls? Boughs of holly? Here’s your guide to decoding archaic lyrics from 5 classic Christmas songs
- Our language has evolved over the years, but we’re still singing many of the same holiday tunes
- If you’ve ever wondered about phrases from songs like ‘Jingle Bells’ or ‘Walking in a Winter Wonderland’, check out our explainer below
Diving deep into the meaning of phrases in Christmas carols. Photo: K. Y. ChengMany popular Christmas songs were written a long time ago, so they often contain confusing phrases that aren’t very common any more. To help you feel more confident while singing along to your favourite holiday classics, here’s a guide to understanding these old-fashioned lyrics.
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1. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”
Lyrics: “You will get a sentimental feeling when you hear
Voices singing, let’s be jolly
Deck the halls with boughs of holly”
Meaning: Holly is an evergreen plant that has long limbs and small, dark leaves with several clumps of pea-sized red berries. When the holly plant’s limbs are cut, it is called a bough of holly. Holly is commonly used in Christmas decorations.
While reading the word, you might think “bough” rhymes with “rough” or “though”, but it actually rhymes with the word “now”.
2. “Deck the Halls”
Lyrics: “Deck the halls with boughs of holly
Fa la la la la, la la la la
Tis the season to be jolly
Fa la la la la, la la la la”
Meaning: What does it mean to “deck the halls”? In this context, it means to decorate, and the word “halls” does not necessarily mean you are only decorating your hallways; instead, the phrase means to decorate your home all over.
You may have not seen the word “tis” before because it is nearly extinct in the English language. It was used hundreds of years ago as a shortened version of “it is”.
3. “Jingle Bells”
Lyrics: “Dashing through the snow
In a one-horse open sleigh
O’er the fields we go
Laughing all the way
Bells on bobtails ring
Making spirits bright”
Meaning: Even in the very first verse, this song is full of tough phrases. Firstly, the word “sleigh” has an unusual spelling given its pronunciation as it sounds just like the word “slay”.
“O’er” looks strange, but it is pronounced just as it looks – “oh-er”. The word is the same as “over”, but for the purpose of the song, the “v” is dropped to make it sound more like a one-syllable word.
“Bobtail” refers to a horse’s tail’s style when it is tied in a knot or cut short. The song lyrics are saying that the horse’s tail is also decked out in bells.
4. “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”
Lyrics: “It’s the hap-happiest season of all
With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings
When friends come to call”
Meaning: The word “gay” used to mean happy before it became associated with people who are attracted to those of their own gender. Thus, the phrase “gay happy meetings” is a bit redundant.
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5. “Walking in a Winter Wonderland”
Lyrics: “In the meadow, we can build a snowman
We’ll pretend that he is Parson Brown
He’ll say, are you married?
We’ll say, no man
But you can do the job when you’re in town”
Meaning: This Christmas song has a romantic spin to it as it is about a couple enjoying a snowy winter day. “Parson” is an old word for a clergyman, who is a person in the church that can perform a marriage ceremony. The two love birds in the song are pretending the snowman is a parson who will marry them.