The Twelve Days of Christmas
Christmas Christmas Carols & Hymn Singers Lyrics


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On the first day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
A partridge in a pear tree
On the second day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the third day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge 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 partridge in a pear tree
On the fifth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Five gold rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the sixth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Six geese a laying
Five gold rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge 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 gold rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the eighth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Eight maids a milking
Seven swans a swimming
Six geese a laying
Five gold rings
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the ninth day of Christmas
Me me me me me me
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a milking
Seven swans a swimming
Six geese a laying
Five gold rings, badam-pam-pam
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the tenth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Ten lords a leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a milking
Seven swans a swimming
Six geese a laying

Five gold rings, badam-pam-pam
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the eleventh day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
Eleven pipers piping
Ten lords a leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a milking
Seven swans a swimming
Six geese a laying
Five gold rings, badam-pam-pam
Four calling birds
Three French hens
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the twelfth day of Christmas
My true love gave to me
12 drummers drumming
Eleven pipers piping
Ten lords a leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a milking
Seven swans a swimming
Six geese a laying
Five gold rings, badam-pam-pam
Four calling birds
Three French hens




Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree

Overall Meaning

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" is a popular Christmas carol that tells the story of a person receiving gifts from their true love each day for twelve consecutive days. The main theme revolves around the joy of receiving presents during the holiday season.


The song starts with the line "On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree." The partridge in a pear tree represents the gift received on the first day. The second verse continues with the addition of two turtle doves, along with the partridge from the previous day. Each subsequent verse adds another gift while keeping the previous ones, gradually building up to the twelfth day.


Verse by verse, the gifts become more extravagant and diverse. The gifts mentioned include three French hens, four calling birds, five gold rings, six geese a-laying, seven swans a-swimming, eight maids a-milking, nine ladies dancing, ten lords a-leaping, eleven pipers piping, and finally, twelve drummers drumming. These gifts symbolize an increasing level of grandeur and playfulness as the song progresses.


The repetition of the previous gifts with each new verse underscores the cumulative nature of the gifts and adds to the joyful and rhythmic quality of the song. Additionally, the song incorporates both animals and human characters, creating a vibrant and lively atmosphere.


Overall, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is a festive and whimsical song that captures the spirit of gift-giving, celebration, and abundance during the holiday season.


Line by Line Meaning

On the first day of Christmas
The gift-giving period starts on Christmas Day


My true love gave to me
Someone dear to me gave me


A partridge in a pear tree
A bird perched on a pear tree


On the second day of Christmas
The day after Christmas Day


Two turtle doves
Two birds symbolizing love and peace


And a partridge in a pear tree
Still the same bird from the previous day


On the third day of Christmas
The day after the second day


Three French hens
Three domesticated chickens from France


Two turtle doves
The same pair of birds as before


And a partridge in a pear tree
The unchanged bird sitting on the tree


On the fourth day of Christmas
The day subsequent to the third day


Four calling birds
Four birds known for their melodious calls


Three French hens
The hens from the previous day


Two turtle doves
Continuing presence of the love and peace symbol


And a partridge in a pear tree
The unchanging bird still on the same tree


On the fifth day of Christmas
Following the fourth day


Five gold rings
Five rings made of precious metal


Four calling birds
The melodious birds mentioned earlier


Three French hens
The domesticated chickens from France


Two turtle doves
Representing love and peace


And a partridge in a pear tree
The bird still perched on the tree


On the sixth day of Christmas
Following the fifth day


Six geese a laying
Six geese in the process of laying eggs


Five gold rings
The precious metal adornments


Four calling birds
The birds known for their warbling


Three French hens
Domesticated chickens from France


Two turtle doves
Symbols of love and peace


And a partridge in a pear tree
The unchanged bird still on the tree


On the seventh day of Christmas
The day after the sixth day


Seven swans a swimming
Seven elegant swans gracefully moving in water


Six geese a laying
Six geese producing eggs


Five gold rings
The valuable ring accessories


Four calling birds
The melodious feathered creatures


Three French hens
Domesticated chickens originating from France


Two turtle doves
Symbols of love and peace


And a partridge in a pear tree
The unchanged bird still sitting on a tree


On the eighth day of Christmas
Following the seventh day


Eight maids a milking
Eight female servants engaged in milking tasks


Seven swans a swimming
The graceful swimming of the seven swans


Six geese a laying
The egg-laying process of the six geese


Five gold rings
The valuable rings as before


Four calling birds
The melodious bird species previously mentioned


Three French hens
The domesticated chickens from France


Two turtle doves
Symbols representing love and peace


And a partridge in a pear tree
The bird still perched on the same tree


On the ninth day of Christmas
The day following the eighth day


Nine ladies dancing
Nine women joyfully and gracefully dancing


Eight maids a milking
The female servants fulfilling their milking duties


Seven swans a swimming
The elegant swimming of the seven swans


Six geese a laying
Continuation of the egg-laying by the six geese


Five gold rings, badam-pam-pam
The same valuable rings as earlier


Four calling birds
The melodious bird species named before


Three French hens
The domesticated chickens originating from France


Two turtle doves
Symbols of love and peace


And a partridge in a pear tree
The unchanged bird still perched on the tree


On the tenth day of Christmas
The day succeeding the ninth day


Ten lords a leaping
Ten noble men gracefully jumping and leaping


Nine ladies dancing
The joyous dancing of the nine women


Eight maids a milking
The female servants continuing their milking tasks


Seven swans a swimming
The elegant swimming of the seven swans


Six geese a laying
The ongoing egg-laying process by the six geese


Five gold rings, badam-pam-pam
Still the same valuable rings as mentioned earlier


Four calling birds
The melodious bird species that were previously stated


Three French hens
The domesticated chickens originating from France


Two turtle doves
Symbols representing love and peace


And a partridge in a pear tree
The bird still occupying the pear tree


On the eleventh day of Christmas
Following the tenth day


Eleven pipers piping
Eleven musicians playing wind instruments


Ten lords a leaping
The noble men continuing their graceful jumps


Nine ladies dancing
The nine women still joyfully dancing


Eight maids a milking
The female servants persisting in their milk-related responsibilities


Seven swans a swimming
The seven swans gracefully swimming in water


Six geese a laying
The ongoing process of egg-laying by the six geese


Five gold rings, badam-pam-pam
The same valuable rings as mentioned previously


Four calling birds
The melodious bird species named earlier


Three French hens
The domesticated chickens originating from France


Two turtle doves
Symbols representing love and peace


And a partridge in a pear tree
The bird still occupying the same pear tree


On the twelfth day of Christmas
The day subsequent to the eleventh day


My true love gave to me
The dear person bestowed upon me


12 drummers drumming
Twelve drum players playing percussions


Eleven pipers piping
The musicians still playing wind instruments


Ten lords a leaping
The noble men continuing their graceful leaps


Nine ladies dancing
The women still happily dancing


Eight maids a milking
The female servants still engaged in milking duties


Seven swans a swimming
The elegant swimming of the seven swans


Six geese a laying
The ongoing egg-laying process by the six geese


Five gold rings, badam-pam-pam
The same valuable rings mentioned earlier


Four calling birds
The melodious bird species as before


Three French hens
The domesticated chickens that originated from France


Two turtle doves
Symbols representing love and peace


And a partridge in a pear tree
The bird still perched on the same tree




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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@kennedywilliams8735

A partridge in a pear tree
Two turtle doves
Three French hens
Four calling doves
Five golden rings
Six geese a laying
Seven swans a swimming
Eight maids a milking
Nine ladies dancing
Ten lords a leaping
Eleven pipers piping
Twelve drummers drumming



@Hi-ff3vg

0:16 Partridge in a pear tree
0:24 Two Turtle Doves
0:35 Three French Hens
0:47 Four Calling Birds
1:01 Five Golden Rings
1:20 Six Geese A-Laying
1:40 Seven Swams A-Swimming
2:02 Eight Maids A-Milking
2:26 Nine Ladies Dancing
2:50 Ten Lords A-Leaping
3:17 Eleven Pipers Piping
3:45 Twelve Drummers Drummuing



@henrymoss5272

So, all told, over the 12 Days of Christmas, the singer received:

12 partridges in a pear tree
22 turtle doves
30 French hens
36 calling birds
40 golden rings
42 geese a laying
42 swans a swimming
40 maids a milking
36 ladies dancing
30 lords a leaping
22 pipers piping
and 12 drummers drumming.

They must have been extra good that year!



@mothiethedoll

on the month of christmas my parents sent to me:
12 minutes of gaming.
11 chores need done.
10 corner dustings.
9 dishes need washing.
8 floor sweepings.
7 younger ones to look after.
6 hours of sleeping.
โœจโœจโœจ5 DAYS OFF SCHOOL โœจโœจโœจ
4 times of law-mowing.
3 pages of homework.
2 walks a day,
and a week of โœจโœจโœจ WINTER HOLIDAY โœจโœจโœจ



@scrungly

in total, they now have:

12 partridges in pear trees
22 turtle doves
30 french hens
36 calling birds
40 golden rings
42 geese a-laying
42 swans a-swimming
40 maids a-milking
36 ladies dancing
30 lords a-leaping
22 pipers piping
12 drummers drumming



@kurumi394

On the fourth year of Uni my school life led to me
Twelve page essays
Eleven final tests
Ten hour shifts
Nine interviews
Eight different bills
Seven tiring days
Six dollar wages
Five student loans
Four daily pills
Three roommates
Two probations
And a partridge in a pear tree!



@Livvy561

During the month I came back to school
My teacher sent to me
12 pages of homework
11 times tables
10 questions I donโ€™t know
9 anxiety attacks
8 hours of doing it
7 thoughts of sleeping
6 trips to โœจthe dumpโœจ
5 hours of crying
4 pens (all the others ran out)
3 minutes to rest
2 hours left
1 minute till hometime ๐ŸคŸ๐ŸคŸ



All comments from YouTube:

@kennedywilliams8735

A partridge in a pear tree
Two turtle doves
Three French hens
Four calling doves
Five golden rings
Six geese a laying
Seven swans a swimming
Eight maids a milking
Nine ladies dancing
Ten lords a leaping
Eleven pipers piping
Twelve drummers drumming

@duzital

We know the bloody lyrics mate๐Ÿฆซ

@prabhubalan5883

Thank you , helped a lot

@stevegiles4549

*Four colly birds

@pokey1853

"Four calling birds"โ€‹@@stevegiles4549

@adeniyiaderibigbe6776

โ€‹@@duzital 98

8 More Replies...

@Hi-ff3vg

0:16 Partridge in a pear tree
0:24 Two Turtle Doves
0:35 Three French Hens
0:47 Four Calling Birds
1:01 Five Golden Rings
1:20 Six Geese A-Laying
1:40 Seven Swams A-Swimming
2:02 Eight Maids A-Milking
2:26 Nine Ladies Dancing
2:50 Ten Lords A-Leaping
3:17 Eleven Pipers Piping
3:45 Twelve Drummers Drummuing

@kieranFN

๐Ÿ‘ ๐Ÿ‘

@gbmlbb9699

Stop spoiling

@kieranFN

@@gbmlbb9699 have u never heard this song

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