Bobby Helms (born Robert Lee Helms) (15 August 1933 – 19 June 1997) was an … Read Full Bio ↴Bobby Helms (born Robert Lee Helms) (15 August 1933 – 19 June 1997) was an American rockabilly singer who enjoyed his peak success in 1957.

Born in Bloomington, Indiana into a musical family, he began performing as a duo with his brother before going on to a successful solo career in country music. In 1956, Helms made his way to Nashville, Tennessee where he signed a recording contract with Decca Records. The following year would be filled with astonishing successes. Helms' first single in 1957 titled "Fraulein" went to No. 1 on the country music charts and made it into the Top 40 on the pop music charts. Later that same year he released "My Special Angel" that also went to No. 1 on the country charts and entered the Top 10 on Billboard magazines pop music charts, peaking at No. 7.

Released just a few days before Christmas of 1957, his song "Jingle Bell Rock" was a big hit but uniquely, it re-emerged four out of the next five years and sold so well that it repeated each time as a top hit and became a Christmas classic still played to this day.

Bobby Helms continued touring and recording for the next three decades. His pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.

Helms spent most of his later years living just outside of Martinsville, Indiana, until the time of his death from emphysema and asthma in 1997.

White Christmas
Bobby Helms Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten
And children listen
To hear sleighbells in the snow

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write

May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white

Musical break

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten
And children listen
To hear sleighbells in the snow

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write

May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white

Overall Meaning

Bobby Helms's White Christmas evokes memories of childhood and the magic of the winter holiday season, with its iconic visual images and sounds of snow-tipped treetops and sleigh bells. Through the opening lines of the song, he wistfully muses that he is dreaming of a white Christmas, one that reminds him of his childhood and the holiday memories of his past. He longs for those moments of simple pleasures, such as the joy of watching the glittering snow as it covers the trees and the laughter of children playing outside in the snow, listening for the tinkling of sleigh bells.

As the song proceeds, he expresses his wish to share this passion for a white Christmas with others, sending warm holiday greetings to all through every Christmas card that he writes. He wishes for everyone to have a merry and bright holiday with their loved ones, filled with the warmth of family, friends and the never-ending blanket of white snow. Bobby Helms's rendition of 'White Christmas' captures a yearning for a simpler time and a nostalgia that echoes through holiday traditions past and present.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
I long for a Christmas filled with snow, peace, and joy.

Just like the ones I used to know
Just like the Christmas experiences of my past.

Where the treetops glisten
Beautifully decorated trees with snow on them.

And children listen
When quietness sits on Christmas and children are delighted.

To hear sleighbells in the snow
The sound of sleigh bells that is only possible when snow is present.

With every Christmas card I write
As I compose each holiday message.

May your days be merry and bright
May your Christmas season be filled with happiness and light.

And may all your Christmases be white
Wishing you a white Christmas every year.