Grown-up Christmas List
Barbra Streisand (Holiday) Lyrics
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I sat upon your knee
I wrote to you with childhood fantasies
Well I'm all grown up now
Can you still help somehow
I'm not a child but my heart still can dream
So here's my lifelong wish
My grown-up X-mas list
No more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
Every man would have a friend
That right would always win
And love would never end
This is my grown-up Christmas list
What is this illusion called
The innocence of youth
Maybe only in that blind belief
Can we ever find the truth
There'd be no more lives torn apart
That wars would never start
And time would heal all hearts
And every man would have a friend
And right would always win
And love would never end
This is my grow-up X-mas list
This is my only life-long wish
This is my grown-up X-mas list....
In "Grown-Up Christmas List," Barbra Streisand reminisces about her childhood and how she used to write letters to Santa Claus with wishes and fantasies. She then expresses that she is now a grown up but still holds on to the hope and innocence of her childhood. Her wish is no longer for toys or materialistic things, but for a world without war and suffering where love and friendship prevail. She emphasizes that time can heal all wounds, and every man should have a friend. Barbra's message is clear - her grown-up Christmas list is about the hope for a better world.
The lyrics of the song are a call to action for society to wake up and make a change. The wish for world peace and the end of war is a common theme in many holiday songs, but the lyrics go beyond that by adding hope for friendship and love to end suffering. The reference to the "innocence of youth" suggests that we must believe in a world without wars and hate to make it a reality. Barbra's voice brings an emotional depth to the song, taking us on a journey of hope and nostalgia.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you remember me
Asking if Santa Claus remembers the writer from childhood
I sat upon your knee
Recalling sitting on Santa's knee as a child
I wrote to you with childhood fantasies
Referring to writing letters to Santa Claus as a child with hopes and dreams
Well I'm all grown up now
Acknowledging that the writer is now an adult
Can you still help somehow
Asking if Santa can still help despite no longer being a child
I'm not a child but my heart still can dream
Expressing that even though the writer is an adult, they still have hopes and dreams for the future
So here's my lifelong wish
Presenting the writer's ultimate desire for the world
My grown-up X-mas list
Referring to the writer's wishlist for the world based on their adult perspective
Not for myself but for a world in need
Stating that the wishlist is not for personal gain, but for the benefit of the world
No more lives torn apart
Wishing for an end to suffering caused by conflicts
That wars would never start
Desiring a world with no wars or conflicts
And time would heal all hearts
Believing that given enough time, people can recover from tragedies and hardships
Every man would have a friend
Wishing for a world where everyone has a companion and no one feels alone
That right would always win
Hoping for a world where justice prevails and fairness is upheld
And love would never end
Wishing for a world where love is eternal and unconditional
This is my grown-up Christmas list
Reiterating that the above list is the writer's Christmas wish for the world
What is this illusion called
Questioning the idea of childhood innocence and wonder
The innocence of youth
Referring to the idea that children are pure and untouched by the harsh realities of the world
Maybe only in that blind belief
Suggesting that believing in the innocence of youth is based on naivety and not fully understanding the world
Can we ever find the truth
Raising the question of whether it's possible to find absolute truth in a complex and convoluted world
This is my only life-long wish
Stating that the writer has only one wish for their entire life
This is my grown-up X-mas list....
Reiterating the writer's Christmas wish for the world
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: LINDA THOMPSON, DAVID FOSTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind