Jerome "Chef" McElroy is a former r… Read Full Bio ↴For the British DJ, see DJ Chef.
Jerome "Chef" McElroy is a former recurring character on the animated series South Park. Voiced by Isaac Hayes, Chef, as his nickname implied, worked as an elementary school cafeteria worker in the fictional town of South Park, Colorado. Generally portrayed as more level-headed than the other adult residents of the town, Chef's guidance was often sought by the show's core group of child protagonists – Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick – as he was usually the only adult they consistently trusted. To an inadvertent fault, he would frequently give inappropriate advice, usually in the non sequitur form of a lascivious soul song.
Chef was inspired by Hayes and other popular soul singers of the 1970s, as well as an actual dining hall worker encountered by series co-creator Trey Parker while he attended the University of Colorado. Chef played a less prominent role as the series progressed beyond its earlier seasons, and the character was killed off in the beginning of the tenth season in "The Return of Chef", in response to public controversy with Hayes, who left the show after the controversial episode "Trapped in the Closet", which satirized Scientology.
'Chef Aid: The South Park Album' is an album based on the 'Chef Aid' episode of South Park. The album was available with 2 collectible covers and in three different versions — "Clean", "Explicit", and "Extreme". Chef features on four tracks on the album.
What The Hell Child Is This?
Chef Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sometimes that love goes bad
But other times its so right!
Yeah, I know we've been through some rough waters
But most of the time our thing is off the hook!
I just want to know one thing...
What child is this
At my feet
This is not the time.
I know that I'm not responsible
It's white so it cannot be mine.
No, this, this is Christ the King.
With a feeling of relief
I cannot sing.
Haste, haste to bring him laud
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
Mmmmm, Son of Mary!
(Son of Mary)
Little bitty baby!
(Mary)
So, bring him incense, gold, and myrrh
Come peasant king to own Him.
The King of kings, salvation brings,
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
Raise, raise the song on high
The Virgin sings her lullaby.
Joy, joy, for Christ is born
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
Son of Mary
(Son of Mary)
Little bitty baby
(Little bitty baby, yeah)
I'm gonna lay you down by the yule log
I'm gonna gonna love you right.
Baby, I'm gonna deck your halls
And silent your night!
You'll hear the herald angels sing
When I'm sliding off your bra.
I just can't wait to jingle your bells
And fa la la your la!
(Fa la la your la)
This, this is Christmas Day
A time for lovers to celebrate.
I'm gonna ding dong you merrily on high
Because this is the season for giving!
(Give it to me baby, give it to me baby)
...Season for giving
(Season for giving, give me love!)
...Season for living
(Season for living, give me love!)
...Season for giving
(Season for giving)
...Giving you love
(Give me love!)
...Giving you good love
(Season for good love!)
...Whole lotta love
(Give me love!)
...Making love
(Season for giving)
...By the fire
(Give me love!)
...Whole lotta love
(Season for good love)
...By the fire
(Give me love!)
...Don't need no mistletoe
(Season for giving)
...You've got toes
(Give me love!)
...Whole lotta loving
(Season for good love!)
...Love
(Give me love!)
...Jingle bells
(Season for giving, give me love!
...Fa la la your la.
(Season for good love, give me love!)
The lyrics of Chef's song "What the Hell Child Is This?" appear to be a satirical take on the classic Christmas carol "What Child is This?" The song opens with Chef acknowledging that, despite some rocky moments, there is a lot of love between him and his partner. He then suddenly switches to a bizarre and explicit version of the carol, singing about a child that has been laid to rest at his feet who is not his responsibility because it is white. The lyrics then mention that the child is actually Christ the King, which prompts Chef to sing about his relief and inability to sing.
In the latter half of the song, Chef returns to more traditional Christmas themes, mentioning giving gifts of gold, incense, and myrrh to the Baby Jesus. However, he also includes sexual innuendos and explicit language throughout the song, making for a humorous juxtaposition between the sacred and the profane.
Overall, the lyrics of this song seem to be a commentary on how Christmas has become commercialized and sexualized, with the original meaning of the holiday being forgotten or overshadowed.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby, you know there's a lot of love between us
I acknowledge that we share a strong love connection
Sometimes that love goes bad
Occasionally our love experiences turbulence
But other times its so right!
Other times, our love feels perfect
Yeah, I know we've been through some rough waters
I am aware that we have faced challenges in our relationship
But most of the time our thing is off the hook!
However, we generally have an amazing relationship
I just want to know one thing...
I have one question to ask
What child is this
I am curious about the identity of this child
You've laid to rest
Who has been put to rest in this place?
At my feet
Why is this happening near me?
This is not the time.
I feel this moment is not the appropriate time for this occurrence
I know that I'm not responsible
I am not to be held accountable for this situation
It's white so it cannot be mine.
The baby appears to have a different father as it is not biologically mine.
No, this, this is Christ the King.
This child represents the significant religious figure, Jesus Christ
With a feeling of relief
I am feeling a sense of relief or comfort after realizing this
I cannot sing.
I am unable to express my emotions through singing
Haste, haste to bring him laud
Let us hurry to praise and honor him
The Babe, the Son of Mary.
We are referring to the baby, Jesus, who is the son of Mary
Mmmmm, Son of Mary!
We repeat the fact that Jesus is the son of Mary
Little bitty baby!
We remark on the small size of the baby
So, bring him incense, gold, and myrrh
Let us offer him gifts of incense, gold, and myrrh
Come peasant king to own Him.
Even peasants are welcome to come and worship the baby
The King of kings, salvation brings,
Jesus is acknowledged as the King of kings, and his presence brings salvation
Let loving hearts enthrone Him.
We must show our devotion and love by giving him a position of power and authority
Raise, raise the song on high
Let us lift our voices in song and praise
The Virgin sings her lullaby.
Mary, Jesus' mother, is singing a lullaby to her child
Joy, joy, for Christ is born
We express our excitement that Jesus has been born
Son of Mary
We once again remind ourselves that Jesus is the son of Mary
(Son of Mary)
We repeat this phrase for emphasis
Little bitty baby
We remark once more on the baby's small size
(Little bitty baby, yeah)
We add an additional comment to emphasize this
I'm gonna lay you down by the yule log
I am planning to be intimate with you next to the Yule log
I'm gonna gonna love you right.
I will make love to you to the best of my ability
Baby, I'm gonna deck your halls
I am going to be very romantically affectionate towards you
And silent your night!
I will make your night beautiful and peaceful
You'll hear the herald angels sing
During our lovemaking, you will be able to hear the angels singing
When I'm sliding off your bra.
As I remove your bra, the angels' voices will become more audible
I just can't wait to jingle your bells
I am excited to make love with you
And fa la la your la!
We will enjoy ourselves thoroughly while making love
(Fa la la your la)
We repeat this phrase for emphasis
This, this is Christmas Day
Today is Christmas, and we should appreciate it
A time for lovers to celebrate.
It's a perfect time for us to celebrate our love
I'm gonna ding dong you merrily on high
I am planning for us to have enjoyable intimate moments together
Because this is the season for giving!
This moment is all about sharing love and giving to one another
(Give it to me baby, give it to me baby)
I am hinting at wanting intimacy with my partner
...Season for giving
We emphasize the idea that this is a giving season
(Season for giving, give me love!)
We repeat the thought of giving, accompanied by a request for love
...Season for living
We accentuate the significance of this moment in our lives
(Season for living, give me love!)
We once again tie love to the concept of living
...Season for giving
We reiterate the idea that this time is about giving rather than receiving
(Season for giving)
We highlight the importance of sharing with others during this season
...Giving you love
We express our intention of giving our partner love
(Give me love!)
We plead for love from our partner
...Giving you good love
We clarify that we intend to provide quality love to our partner
(Season for good love!)
We remark on the concept of excellent love in this season
...Whole lotta love
We reiterate our intention to give our partner a lot of love
(Give me love!)
We continue our request for love from our partner
...Making love
We repeat our plan to make love
(Season for giving)
We associate the idea of giving again with a reminder to be generous
...By the fire
We express our desire to make love near a fireplace
(Give me love!)
We continue our request for love from our partner
...Whole lotta love
We reiterate our intention to give a lot of love
(Season for good love)
We reinstate the theme of excellent love in this season
...By the fire
Once more, we express that we want to make love near a fireplace
(Give me love!)
We repeat our request for love from our partner
...Don't need no mistletoe
We assert that we don't need mistletoe as it is not necessary for our romantic actions
(Season for giving)
We prompt others to embrace the spirit of giving during this season
...You've got toes
We make a humorous remark that our partner has toes
(Give me love!)
We once again ask for love
...Whole lotta loving
We emphasize the abundance of that we intend to provide
(Season for good love!)
We underscore the importance of excellent love during this season
...Love
We express our affection once more
(Give me love!)
We make another plea for love
...Jingle bells
We express excitement similar to the sound of jingling bells
(Season for giving, give me love!)
We repeat the theme of giving in connection to our desire for love
...Fa la la your la.
We reiterate the idea of having fun and enjoying ourselves together
(Season for good love, give me love!)
We repeat our request for excellent love, as it's the season for it
Contributed by Olivia E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.