The Twelve Days of Christmas
Clare College Orchestra And Singers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
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 goldenen 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 golden 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 golden 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 golden rings
Four calling birds
Three french hens
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five golden rings
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 golden rings
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 golden rings
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
Twelve 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 golden rings
Four calling birds
Three french hens
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree
The song “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is a traditional English carol that has been sung for centuries. The song tells the story of a person (presumably a woman) who receives various gifts from her true love during the twelve days of Christmas. Each day, a new gift is added to the list, and by the twelfth day, the total number of gifts received is twelve 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 golden rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree.
The gifts listed in the song have been interpreted in various ways over the years, with some people believing that they have religious significance. For example, the partridge in a pear tree is said to represent Jesus Christ, the two turtle doves either the Old and New Testaments or the two parts of the Bible (the Old Testament and the New Testament), the three French hens the three virtues of faith, hope, and love, and the four calling birds the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. However, other people believe that the gifts were originally just a fun way of counting down the twelve days of Christmas, and that any deeper meanings were added later.
Line by Line Meaning
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me
At the beginning of the Christmas season, my true love gave me a gift.
A partridge in a pear tree
The gift was a bird (a partridge) sitting in a tree (a pear tree).
On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me
The next day, my true love continued the countdown of Christmas gifts by giving me another present.
Two turtle doves, and
The gift was two birds (turtle doves) and my true love also gave me the first gift again (the partridge in a pear tree).
On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me
The gift-giving continued on the third day of Christmas.
Three french hens
The gift was three more birds (French hens) added to the previous gifts (partridge, turtle doves).
Two turtle doves, and
The second gift, two turtle doves, and the first gift, a partridge in a pear tree, were given to me again.
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
The fourth day of Christmas arrived and my true love presented me with yet another gift.
Four calling birds
The new gift was four more birds (calling birds) to add to the previous gifts (partridge, turtle doves, French hens).
Three french hens
In addition to the new gift, my true love included three French hens and the previous gifts (partridge, turtle doves) once more.
Two turtle doves, and
The second gift and the first gift (partridge in a pear tree) were given to me again.
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
As the fifth day of Christmas appeared on the calendar, my true love gave me another gift.
Five golden rings
The new gift featured five golden rings and the previous gifts (partridge, turtle doves, French hens, calling birds) were also given to me again.
Four calling birds
In addition to the previous gifts, my true love gave me four more birds (calling birds) again.
Three french hens
Along with the new gift and the previous gifts, my true love included three more French hens.
Two turtle doves, and
The second gift and the first gift (partridge in a pear tree) were given to me again.
On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
As the sixth day arrived, my true love continued the Christmas countdown with another gift.
Six geese a-laying
The new gift was six geese laying eggs and added to that were the previous gifts (partridge, turtle doves, French hens, calling birds, golden rings).
Five golden rings
In addition to the sixth gift and the previous gifts, my true love gave me the gift of five golden rings again.
Four calling birds
Yet again, my true love presented me with four more calling birds in addition to the gifts I had already received.
Three French hens
I also received three more French hens on the sixth day of Christmas.
Two turtle doves, and
And once again, my true love gave me the gift of two turtle doves and the first gift (partridge in a pear tree).
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me
The seventh day of Christmas brought another gift from my true love.
Seven swans a-swimming
The gift presented on this day was seven swans swimming and this was added to the previous six gifts.
Six geese a-laying
The geese laying eggs gift from the sixth day was presented to me again along with the five golden rings and the four calling birds.
Three French hens
Additionally, three French hens were given to me again along with the two turtle doves and the first gift.
On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
The eighth day of Christmas appeared and my true love gave me another gift.
Eight maids a-milking
The gift presented on this day was eight maids who were milking cows and these were added to the previous seven gifts.
Seven swans a-swimming
The seven swans gift was given to me again, along with the six geese laying eggs, the five golden rings, and the four calling birds.
Three French hens
In addition to the previous gifts, three French hens were given to me again and so were the two turtle doves and the first gift.
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
The ninth day of Christmas brought another gift from my true love.
Nine ladies dancing
The gift presented on this day was nine ladies dancing and these were added to the previous eight gifts.
Eight maids a-milking
The eighth day present was given to me again, along with the seven swans, six geese laying eggs, five golden rings, and four calling birds.
Three French hens
I was also given three more French hens on this day, along with the two turtle doves and the first gift.
On the tenth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
The tenth day of Christmas arrived and my true love presented me with another gift.
Ten lords a-leaping
The gift presented on this day was ten lords who were leaping and these were added to the previous nine gifts.
Nine ladies dancing
I was also given the gift of nine dancing ladies again, along with the eight maids a-milking, seven swans, six geese laying eggs, five golden rings, and four calling birds.
Three French hens
In addition to the previous gifts, three French hens and the two turtle doves and the first gift were given to me again.
On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me
The eleventh day of Christmas brought another gift from my true love.
Eleven pipers piping
The gift presented on this day was eleven pipers who were piping and these were added to the previous ten gifts.
Ten lords a-leaping
I was also given the gift of ten lords a-leaping again, along with the nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, seven swans, six geese laying eggs, five golden rings, and four calling birds.
Three French hens
Additionally, three more French hens were given to me again along with the two turtle doves and the first gift.
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me
Finally, the twelfth day of Christmas arrived and my true love gave me the last gift in the countdown.
Twelve drummers drumming
The gift presented on this day was twelve drummers drumming and these were added to the previous eleven gifts.
Eleven pipers piping
The gift of eleven pipers piping was presented to me again, along with the ten lords a-leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, seven swans, six geese laying eggs, five golden rings, and four calling birds.
Three French hens
Finally, the last gift included three more French hens, the two turtle doves, and the first gift of a partridge in a pear tree.
Lyrics © DistroKid, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave
Written by: Traditional
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lisacampbell4295
i just LOVE THIS!!