Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
"Big" Tiny Little Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I just came back from a lovely trip along the Milky Way
Stopped off at the North Pole to spend a holiday
I called on dear old Santa Claus
To see what I could see
He took me to his workshop
And told his plans to me, so

[Chorus]
You better watch out, you better not cry
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
He's making a list and checking it twice
Gonna find out who's naughty and nice
Santa Claus is comin' to town
He sees you when you're sleepin'
He knows when you're a wake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake
Oh! You better watch out, you better not cry
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town

With little tin horns and little toy drums
Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
Santa Claus is comin' to town
And curly head dolls that toddle and coo
Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Then kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee
They're gonna build a Toyland all around the Christmas tree
So! You better watch out, you better not cry
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town

Now Santa is a busy man, He has no time to play
He's got millions of stockings to fill on Christmas day
You'd better write your letter now
And mail it right away
Because he's getting ready
His reindeer's and his sleigh. So

[Chorus]

With little tin horns and little toy drums
Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
Santa Claus is comin' to town
And curly head dolls that toddle and coo
Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Then kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee
They're gonna build a Toyland all around the Christmas tree
So! You better watch out, you better not cry




Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" by "Big" Tiny Little describe a trip to the North Pole and an encounter with Santa Claus himself. The singer is invited into Santa's workshop where he reveals his plans for the upcoming holiday season. The song then shifts to the well-known warning that Santa Claus is making a list and checking it twice to see who has been naughty or nice.


The chorus continues with this warning of Santa's surveillance, highlighting that he sees when children are sleeping and knows when they are awake. The song encourages children to behave themselves for the sake of receiving gifts from Santa Claus. The subsequent verse lists various toys that will be given out by Santa Claus, including little tin horns, rooty toot toots, and rummy tum tums, building excitement for the coming celebrations.


The closing stanza emphasizes the importance of writing a letter to Santa Claus and sending it quickly, as he is busy preparing his reindeer and sleigh for his worldwide journey on Christmas Day. The song ends by reiterating that Santa Claus is indeed coming to town, signaling the beginning of the holiday season.


Line by Line Meaning

I just came back from a lovely trip along the Milky Way
I recently returned from a pleasant journey through space.


Stopped off at the North Pole to spend a holiday
I visited the North Pole to take a vacation.


I called on dear old Santa Claus
I paid a visit to Santa Claus.


To see what I could see
In order to see what was happening.


He took me to his workshop
Santa showed me around his workplace.


And told his plans to me, so
He explained his intentions to me.


You better watch out, you better not cry
You need to be careful and not cry.


Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Don't sulk, I'll tell you why.


Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa is on his way to our town.


He's making a list and checking it twice
He is creating a list and reviewing it twice.


Gonna find out who's naughty and nice
He will determine who has been good and who has been bad.


He sees you when you're sleepin'
He observes you while you're sleeping.


He knows when you're a wake
He is aware when you're awake.


He knows if you've been bad or good
He knows if you have been good or bad.


So be good for goodness sake
Therefore, be virtuous just for the sake of being virtuous.


Oh! You better watch out, you better not cry
Oh! Be careful and don't cry.


With little tin horns and little toy drums
There will be small instruments like tin horns and toy drums.


Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
They will produce sounds like rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums.


And curly head dolls that toddle and coo
There will be dolls with curly hair that move around and make cute noises.


Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
There will also be toys like elephants, boats, and children's cars.


Then kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee
The children in Girl and Boy land will have a joyous celebration.


They're gonna build a Toyland all around the Christmas tree
They plan to construct a Toyland around the Christmas tree.


Now Santa is a busy man, He has no time to play
Santa is a very busy individual, and doesn't have time to relax.


He's got millions of stockings to fill on Christmas day
He has to fill millions of stockings on Christmas day.


You'd better write your letter now
You should write a letter to Santa soon.


And mail it right away
Then, send it off as soon as possible.


Because he's getting ready
This is necessary because he is preparing.


His reindeer's and his sleigh
He is readying his reindeer and sleigh.


[Chorus]
The previously stated chorus of the song.




Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS

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Tiny Little Sr Music Collection

Under the facile fingertips of "Big" Tiny Little, the honky tonk piano becomes one of the most delightful Christmas sounds since
Santa discovered the sleigh bell.

Here are the song's most popularly associated with Christmas - the catchy ones: Santa's Chopsticks, and When Santa Does The Polka; the cute ones: Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, Jingle Bells, Frosty The Snowman, Jumpin' Jiminy Christmas; and the beloved oldies: Winter Wonderland, and Sleigh Ride.

Here is "Big" Tiny Little-world-famous virtuoso of the honky tonk piano-adding his own touch of brilliance to the sparkle of the season.

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