Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
Bing Crosby / Ella Fitzgerald Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Well, you know Dasher, and Dancer, and
Prancer, and Vixen,
(Comet, and Cupid, and
Donner and Blitzen)
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all?

(Is it Herman, is it Shermon?
Is it Eddy, is it Freddy? No, no no!
It is Heart, is it Shaptler, is it Mosteres
Oh, you'll never, never guess it, don't snap your cap)
Talkin' 'bout Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
(Oh, him)
Had a very shiny nose
(So I heard
They day if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows).
Like a hot rasie.

All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
(Rudolph is a red nose
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games).

Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say,
"Hey Rudolph, I say Rudolph, with your nose so bright,
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"

(Then how the reindeers loved him
And they shouted out with glee,
Rudolph, Rudolph, Rudolph)
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer,
You'll go down in history!

(Well, the stake glows bosset,
His snary snoot
His tuba that glow like a light-ta-root
With his pink kazoo, he guided the sleigh
He's a hero) why, Rudolph saved the day.

(Rudolph has got his red nose
In the reign deer hall of fame)
Rudolph the red nosed favorite
Of the little reign deer days.
(Rudolph the North Pole big shot
Rides around in Santa's sleigh)
Wearin' a green Fedora
Smoking a cigar all day.

(This story has a moral
Anyone can plainly see)
Just keep your red nose a gleemin'
You'll go down in history

(If you keep you nose a red, red rose
If you keep your beak all pink and sleek)




And if you keep your snooze maroon because
(You'll go down in history).

Overall Meaning

The song starts out by listing eight of Santa's reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen. However, the song then poses a question: do you recall the most famous reindeer of all? It goes on to introduce Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer. The song describes how Rudolph was different than the other reindeer because of his shiny, red nose. The other reindeer used to make fun of him and exclude him from their games. However, one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa needed a way to guide his sleigh through the fog and he chose Rudolph because he was the only one who could lead the way with his glowing nose. Rudolph saved the day and became a hero, beloved by all the other reindeer.


Overall, the lyrics of the song are meant to convey an important moral lesson: it's important to embrace the things that make us unique and use them to our advantage. Rudolph's red nose was something that set him apart from the other reindeer, but it ultimately turned out to be his greatest asset.


Line by Line Meaning

Well, you know Dasher, and Dancer, and Prancer, and Vixen, (Comet, and Cupid, and Donner and Blitzen) But do you recall The most famous reindeer of all?
You're familiar with Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen, but do you remember the most well-known reindeer of all?


(Is it Herman, is it Shermon? Is it Eddy, is it Freddy? No, no no! It is Heart, is it Shaptler, is it Mosteres Oh, you'll never, never guess it, don't snap your cap) Talkin' 'bout Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer (Oh, him)
Don't try to guess Rudolph's name, as it won't be any of those suggested. We're talking about Rudolph, the reindeer with a red nose.


Had a very shiny nose (So I heard They day if you ever saw it You would even say it glows). Like a hot rasie.
Rudolph had a nose that was very bright and shiny, so bright that if someone saw it, they would say that it glows. It's as shiny as a hot raisin.


All of the other reindeer Used to laugh and call him names (Rudolph is a red nose They never let poor Rudolph Join in any reindeer games).
The other reindeer used to make fun of Rudolph's red nose and call him names. They wouldn't let him play in any of their games.


Then one foggy Christmas Eve Santa came to say, "Hey Rudolph, I say Rudolph, with your nose so bright, Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
On a foggy Christmas Eve, Santa asked Rudolph to guide his sleigh because of Rudolph's bright and shiny nose


(Then how the reindeers loved him And they shouted out with glee, Rudolph, Rudolph, Rudolph) Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, You'll go down in history!
After Rudolph helped Santa guide his sleigh, the other reindeer loved him and shouted his name with joy. Rudolph will be remembered for a long time and has become a part of history.


(Well, the stake glows bosset, His snary snoot His tuba that glow like a light-ta-root With his pink kazoo, he guided the sleigh He's a hero) why, Rudolph saved the day.
Rudolph's shiny nose was so impressive that it could glow like a boss. He even used his pink kazoo to guide the sleigh. Rudolph became a hero when he saved the day.


(Rudolph has got his red nose In the reign deer hall of fame) Rudolph the red nosed favorite Of the little reign deer days.
Rudolph's red nose is now in the hall of fame for reindeer. The younger reindeer loved Rudolph because of his red nose.


(Rudolph the North Pole big shot Rides around in Santa's sleigh) Wearin' a green Fedora Smoking a cigar all day.
Nowadays, Rudolph is a big shot at the North Pole, riding around in Santa's sleigh. He even wears a green fedora and smokes a cigar all day.


(This story has a moral Anyone can plainly see) Just keep your red nose a gleemin' You'll go down in history
This story has a moral that everyone can see. Keep your red nose shiny and bright, and you too can go down in history.


(If you keep you nose a red, red rose If you keep your beak all pink and sleek) And if you keep your snooze maroon because (You'll go down in history).
If you keep your nose as red as a rose, and your beak as pink and sleek, and your snooze as maroon, then you too can become famous like Rudolph and be remembered in history.




Lyrics © ST. NICHOLAS MUSIC INC
Written by: John D. Marks

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

@michelealvarino137

Thank you for uploading this! This is my favorite version of the song, and I was disheartened when I recently discovered that Spotify removed it. It's such a fun one to hear each year!

@BigBingFan

People forget how adept Bing was with the Language; He honed his craft on "The Kraft Music Hall," on radio, and always had a knack with words--big ones, rhythmic ones, any old words, and was a huge intellect in his own right. I am a Big Bing Fan, but objectively, his favorite woman duet partner was Miss Ella--boy, how they blended together! I thank you for posting this; somehow, even though I thought I had everything, I didn't. Thanks for psoting!

@HickW

Best version ever!!! <3

@tanyahicks8361

I absolutely love this song!  I work at the Gap and we play a slightly different version and it just makes you dance, dance and dance.  It's a little faster.  But, I love this one too.  One of my favorites!!!

@ishaa5948

Heard this for the first time a few days ago at Walmart. 😍! That back beat is soooo Hip Hop. Too bad they're not around (RIP) to see what Swing has done. Thanks for posting. Now I need to find that other version 😆

@taddyd1

Wish they had recorded some duet lps like the Armstrong and Clooney projects.

@krisj827

I've been looking for this version of this song everywhere. Thanks for posting!!

@akman45304

Wearin' a green fedora smoking a ceegar all day, classic

@BERTRAMCAT

happy new year from Sverige.-. love Ella

@shakirawilliams6539

My favorite of all time

More Comments

More Versions