To some people, he is best known as the man who brought rock parodist "Weird Al" Yankovic to national attention, as well as Elmo and Patsy's 1979 Christmas song "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer".
Hansen was born the son of an amateur pianist and claims to have started his vast record collection as early as age 12, when he found "that a local thrift store had thousands of old 78 RPM records for sale at 5 cents each". He attended Reed College, where he wrote his senior thesis on Wagnerian opera, graduating in 1963, and later studied at UCLA, from which he earned a master's degree in folklore and ethnomusicology.
Hansen has developed a particular interest in the roots of rock 'n' roll in R&B and country music, and he has written about it in many magazine articles, liner notes to compilations and new recordings by a variety of artists, and two chapters on early R&B for The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll. His shows and public appearances display an encyclopedic knowledge of the history of recorded music in general, from the earliest Edison cylinder recordings onward.
The Twelve Days of Christmas
Dr. Demento Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The first thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me:
Is finding a Christmas tree.
The second thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me:
Rigging up the lights,
And finding a Christmas tree.
The third thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me
Rigging up the lights,
And finding a Christmas tree.
The fourth thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me:
Sending Christmas cards,
Hangovers,
Rigging up the lights,
And finding a Christmas tree.
The fifth thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me:
Five months of bills,
Sending Christmas cards,
Hangovers,
Rigging up the lights,
And finding a Christmas tree.
The sixth thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me:
Facing my in-laws,
Five months of bills,
Oh, I hate those Christmas cards,
Hangovers,
Rigging up these lights,
And finding a Christmas tree.
The seventh thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me:
The Salvation Army,
Facing my in-laws,
Five months of bills,
Sending Christmas cards,
Oh, Jeez!
I'm trying to rig up these lights!
And finding a Christmas tree.
The eighth thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me:
I want to TRANSFORMER FOR CHRISTMAS!
Charities
And what do you mean, "your in-laws"?!?
Five months of bills,
Oh, making out these cards,
Edith, get me a beer, huh?
What we have no extension cords?!?
And finding a Christmas tree.
The ninth thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me:
No parking spaces,
DADDY, I WANT SOME CANDY!!
Donations!
Facing my in-laws,
Five months of bills,
Writing out those Christmas cards,
Hangovers,
Now why the hell are they blinking?!?
And finding a Christmas tree.
The tenth thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me:
"Batteries not included",
No parking spaces,
BUY ME SOMETHIN'!!!!
Get a job, ya bum!!!
Oh, facing my in-laws,
Five months of bills,
Yo, ho! Sending Christmas cards,
Oh, Jeez, look at this!
One light goes out, they ALL go out!!!
And finding a Christmas tree.
The eleventh thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me:
Stale TV specials,
"Batteries not included",
No parking spaces,
I GOTTA GO TO THE BATHROOM!!!!
Charities!!
She's a witch! I hate her!
Five months of bills,
Oh, I don't even KNOW half these people!
Oh, who's got the toilet paper?
Get a flashlight!! I blew a fuse!!!
And finding a Christmas tree.
The twelth thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me:
Singing Christmas Carols,
Stale TV specials,
"Batteries not included",
No parking?
WAAAAAAH!!!! WAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!
Charities!
Gotta make 'em dinner!
Five months of bills,
I'm not sending them this year, that's it!
Shut up, you!
FINE!! If you're so smart, YOU RIG UP THE LIGHTS!!!!!
And finding a Christmas tree.
Dr. Demento's song Twelve Days of Christmas is a humorous take on the holiday season, offering a colorful commentary on the various traditions and obligations that people face during this time of year. The lyrics mockingly depict a list of increasingly frustrating and ridiculous tasks that the singer must undertake, from finding a Christmas tree and rigging up lights to dealing with hangovers from too much festive cheer.
As the song progresses, the list of grievances becomes more absurd, ranging from the annoyance of sending Christmas cards and facing in-laws to the irritation of dealing with parking and stale TV specials. The lyrics culminate in a frantic chorus of complaints, as the singer bemoans the need to sing carols and make dinner for guests while struggling to keep up with the never-ending demands of the holiday season.
Overall, the lyrics of Dr. Demento's Twelve Days of Christmas offer a lighthearted and relatable perspective on the ups and downs of the festive season, blending humor with seasonal sentiment to create a timeless holiday classic.
Line by Line Meaning
The first thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me:
Looking for a Christmas tree can be quite a hassle and a burden during the holiday season.
The second thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me:
Hanging fancy Christmas lights is a tedious task and finding a Christmas tree can be difficult.
The third thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me
Hangovers are never a good thing and hangovers during the holidays can be a nightmare. This is combined with the pains of rigging up the lights and looking for a tree.
The fourth thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me:
Sending Christmas cards is often a chore and takes up time and money. When you add the headaches of a hangover, finding a tree, and hanging up lights, it just adds to the pain.
The fifth thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me:
Paying bills during the holidays can be a constant burden, along with writing Christmas cards, hangovers, finding a tree, and hanging up lights.
The sixth thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me:
Spending time with one's in-laws during the holidays can be stressful, along with paying bills, Christmas cards, hangovers,finding a tree, and hanging up lights.
The seventh thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me:
Sometimes you just want to avoid certain organizations asking for donations, never mind the in-laws, paying bills, sending out cards, hangovers, finding a tree, and hanging up lights.
The eighth thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me:
Kids can be demanding, and some folks just want unrealistic gifts like a transformer, especially when facing stress from charities asking for donations, in-laws, paying bills, hangovers, finding a tree, and hanging up lights.
The ninth thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me:
Parking is a scarce commodity during the holiday season, and kids can demand sweets, along with charitable donations, in-laws, bills, Christmas cards, hangovers, finding a tree, and hanging up lights.
The tenth thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me:
Items without batteries and lack of parking can be quite annoying, along with the constant demand from kids, lack of money for charities, in-laws, bills, writing out cards, hangovers, finding out which light blew a fuse, and finding a tree.
The eleventh thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me:
Stale holiday specials and kids needing the bathroom add to the list of headaches, along with charities, in-laws, bills, card writing, hangovers, needing toilet paper, and finding a tree.
The twelfth thing at Christmas that's such a pain to me:
Singing Christmas carols with friends can be a good time, but after dealing with stale TV, parking, charities, family, bills, bratty kids, and finding a tree, it's no wonder the singer wants to get some help rigging up the lights!
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOB RIVERS, BRIAN SILVA, BRIAN ANTHONY SILVA, DENNIS J AMERO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Kimmotion1
"She's a witch, I hate her!" 🤣😂
@JohnAllen-wn5dg
I like the 12 pain of Christmas it's funny..😁😁😂😂🤣🤣
@supermariojack2091
lol