The Twelve Days of Christmas
Barney Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

/Added by Victor MATTERS/

On the first day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
A partrage in a pear tree
On the second day of Christmas
My true love game to me
Two turtle doves

And a partrage in a pear tree

On the third day of Chirstmas
My true love gave to me
Three French hens,

Two turtle doves,
And a partrage in a pear tree

On the fourth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partrage in a pear tree

On the fifth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two trutle doves,
And a partrage in a pear tree

On the sixth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Six geese-a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,

And a partrage in a pear tree

On the seventh day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Seven swans-a-swimming,
Six geese-a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,

Two turtle doves,
And a partrage in a pear tree

On the eighth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Eight maides-a-milking,
Seven swans-a-swimming,
Six geese-a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,

Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partrage in a pear tree

On the ninth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maides-a-milking,
Seven swans-a-swimming,
Six geese-a-laying,
Ohhh, awww-e-awww,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partrage in a pear tree
What′s a partrage?
What's a pear tree?

On the tenth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Ten Lords-a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maides-a-milking,
Seven swans-a-swimming,
Six geese-a-laying,
Five Limousines,
Four calling birds,
Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partrage in a pear tree
On the eleventh day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Eleven Pippers Piping,
Ten Lords-a-leaping,
Nine ladies dancing,
Eight maides-a-milking,
Seven swans-a-swimming,
Six geese-a-laying,
Five golden rings,
Four calling birds,

Three French hens,
Two turtle doves,
And a partrage in a pear tree

On the twelvth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
TWELVE DRUMMERS DRUMMING!
ELEVEN PIPPERS PIPING!
TEN LORDS-A-LEAPING!
NINE LADIES DANCING!
EIGHT MAIDES-A-MILKING!
SEVEN SWANS-A-SWIMMING!
SIX GEESE-A-LAYING!
FIVE GOLDEN RINGS!
FOUR CALLING BIRDS!
THREE FRENCH HENS!




TWO TURTLE DOVES!
AND A PARTRAGE IN A PEAR TREE!

Overall Meaning

The song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is a Christmas carol that has a cumulative structure, meaning each day's gifts build on the previous day's gifts. The song describes the gifts given by the singer's "true love" over the twelve days of Christmas. Each verse begins with announcing which day of Christmas it is and then naming the gifts that were given on that particular day. The gifts in the song are highly symbolic, with each item representing different Christian concepts or symbolism.


The first gift given on the first day of Christmas is "a partridge in a pear tree." The partridge is a symbol for Jesus Christ, and the pear tree represents the cross. The two turtle doves given on the second day symbolize the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. The three French hens given on the third day stand for faith, hope, and love. The four calling birds on the fourth day represent the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The five golden rings given on the fifth day represent the first five books of the Bible, known as the Torah. The gifts continue to accumulate, with more birds, people, and musicians representing various Christian concepts or symbols.


Overall, the song is a celebratory representation of the various gifts that make the Christmas season special. The gifts, while highly symbolic, are also festive and fun, adding to the joyous atmosphere of the holiday season.


Line by Line Meaning

On the first day of Christmas
The beginning of a gift-giving holiday tradition


My true love gave to me
Someone special gave me a present


A partrage in a pear tree
A type of bird perched on a fruit tree


On the second day of Christmas
Another day of gift-giving


Two turtle doves
Two birds often associated with love and devotion


And a partrage in a pear tree
The bird from day one is still present


On the third day of Christmas
A new day, a new gift


Three French hens
Three chickens from France


Two turtle doves
The birds from the previous day remain


And a partrage in a pear tree
The bird from day one continues to stay


On the fourth day of Christmas
Halfway through the gift-giving tradition


Four calling birds
Four birds known for their singing ability


Three French hens
The three chickens from the previous day


Two turtle doves
The two birds devoted to each other


And a partrage in a pear tree
The bird from day one continues to be the centerpiece


On the fifth day of Christmas
The gift-giving continues


Five golden rings
Five pieces of jewelry decorated with gold


Four calling birds
The birds that can sing beautifully


Three French hens
The trio of French chickens is still around


Two turtle doves
The couple of birds devoted to each other


And a partrage in a pear tree
The bird from the first day is still there as a symbol


On the sixth day of Christmas
The gift-giving tradition continues with more presents


Six geese-a-laying
Six immature geese that are able to produce eggs


Five golden rings
The five pieces of jewelry made of gold


Four calling birds
The birds that produce beautiful sounds


Three French hens
The unexciting poultry from France


Two turtle doves
The birds devoted to each other


And a partrage in a pear tree
The bird and the tree that started it all


On the seventh day of Christmas
Almost a week into the gift-giving period


Seven swans-a-swimming
Seven majestic birds swimming gracefully


Six geese-a-laying
Six immature geese ready to lay eggs


Five golden rings
The expensive jewelry pieces made of gold


Four calling birds
The birds known for their beautiful singing


Three French hens
The three boring chickens from France


Two turtle doves
The pair of birds that love each other


And a partrage in a pear tree
The bird that has remained a constant in this tradition


On the eighth day of Christmas
Another day of exchanged gifts and presents


Eight maides-a-milking
Eight young ladies milking cows


Seven swans-a-swimming
The seven graceful swimming birds


Six geese-a-laying
Six immature geese that produce eggs


Five golden rings
The five expensive rings made of gold


Four calling birds
The birds recognized for their beautiful melody


Three French hens
The three unexciting chickens from France you forget about


Two turtle doves
The couple of birds that love and care for one another


And a partrage in a pear tree
The bird and the tree that started this holiday tradition


On the ninth day of Christmas
Still no sign of ending the tradition of gift-giving


Nine ladies dancing
Nine ladies dancing to music


Eight maides-a-milking
Young ladies milking cows for sustenance


Seven swans-a-swimming
The seven beautiful swimming birds


Six geese-a-laying
The six birds that lay eggs as immature geese


Ohhh, awww-e-awww
Some sounds emitted in sheer joy and excitement


Four calling birds
The singing birds presented as a gift


Three French hens
The three unimpressive chickens from France


Two turtle doves
The pair of birds that care for one another loyally


And a partrage in a pear tree
The bird and tree that started this tradition


On the tenth day of Christmas
Another day and a higher increment of gifts


Ten Lords-a-leaping
Ten rich aristocrats jumping around in excitement


Nine ladies dancing
The ladies, who don't belong to the aristocratic class, dancing to music


Eight maides-a-milking
Young ladies milking cows for food


Seven swans-a-swimming
The seven beautiful swimming birds


Six geese-a-laying
The six birds that lay eggs as immature geese


Five Limousines
Five fancy cars for transportation


Four calling birds
The four birds able to produce beautiful sounds


Three French hens
The three chickens from France that don't seem to fit in anywhere


Two turtle doves
The pair of birds that remain in love and care for one another


And a partrage in a pear tree
The bird that started this tradition and the tree that has barely done anything


On the eleventh day of Christmas
The gift-giving is way over the top


Eleven Pippers Piping
Eleven musicians playing small flutes


Ten Lords-a-leaping
The ten rich people jumping around excitedly


Nine ladies dancing
The nine dancing women who seem to be the life of the party


Eight maides-a-milking
The dairy-friendly young ladies


Seven swans-a-swimming
The seven majestic swimming birds


Six geese-a-laying
The six birds that lay eggs


Five golden rings
The five expensive jewelry pieces


Four calling birds
The birds able to produce beautiful melody with their voice


Three French hens
The three unimpressive chickens from France continuing to just exist


Two turtle doves
The pair of loyal and devoted birds


And a partrage in a pear tree
The bird and tree that initiated this overly generous tradition


On the twelvth day of Christmas
The gift-giving is not stopping anytime soon


TWELVE DRUMMERS DRUMMING!
Twelve musicians playing drums loudly


ELEVEN PIPPERS PIPING!
Eleven musicians playing small flutes again


TEN LORDS-A-LEAPING!
Ten rich people jumping around excitedly again


NINE LADIES DANCING!
Nine ladies dancing around while being watched by everyone


EIGHT MAIDES-A-MILKING!
Eight young women milking cows for food and sustenance again


SEVEN SWANS-A-SWIMMING!
Seven majestic swimming birds again


SIX GEESE-A-LAYING!
Six birds laying eggs and hoping for a break soon


FIVE GOLDEN RINGS!
The fancy and expensive jewelry pieces made of gold


FOUR CALLING BIRDS!
The birds that produce beautiful sounds when they sing


THREE FRENCH HENS!
The three chickens from France still hanging around


TWO TURTLE DOVES!
The couple of birds still loyal to each other


AND A PARTRAGE IN A PEAR TREE!
The bird and the tree that started it all, still standing strong




Writer(s): Traditional, Wyle George

Contributed by Leah D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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