After earning a veterinary medicine degree at Auburn University, Dr. Elmo was a veterinarian at Aqueduct, Belmont Park and Saratoga racetracks in New York. He later moved to San Francisco's Bay Area to open his own animal hospital and while moonlighting playing festivals and clubs in a bluegrass band.
In 1979, he introduced 'Grandma' on a San Francisco radio station. It quickly became a regional hit. Dr. Elmo began playing more holiday gigs around town to support the single. When an activist group, The Gray Panthers, accused him of playing 'ageist music' and showed up to picket one of his shows, the media came out in force, drawing the attention of major labels.
In 1983, MTV began airing the self financed video. A year later Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer album appeared on Epic and a new 'Grandma' single was released, this time with 'Percy, the Puny Poinsettia' as the B-side.
Dr. Elmo released Twisted Tunes in 1991. Numerous holiday albums would follow, with Dr. Elmo releasing his own Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer album in 2002 on SonyBMG. Dr. Elmo added a Halloween hit to his repertoire in 2006 with the title track to his Redneck Dracula album. In 2007 he released Redneck Santa, in 2009 he released Wild Bluegrass with his band Dr. Elmo & Wild Blue. In 2010 Time Life releases Dr. Elmo's Bluegrass Christmas . Most of Dr. Elmo's songs are co-written by Rita Abrams. Pop historians might remember Rita as the Miss Abrams in Miss Abrams and the Strawberry Point 4th Grade Class, the act behind the 1972 hit 'Mill Valley.'
Dr. Elmo currently tours with his bluegrass band, Wild Blue and each holiday season he conducts a media and concert tour in conjunction with the "Grandma" song.
Grandma
Dr. Elmo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Walking home from our house Christmas eve
You can say there's no such thing as Santa
But as for me and grandpa we believe
She'd been drinking too much eggnog
And we begged her not to go
But she forgot her medication, and she
Staggered out the door into the snow
At the scene of the attack
She had hoof-prints on her forehead
And incriminating Claus marks on her back
Now we're all so proud of grandpa
He's been taking this so well
See him in there watching football
Drinking root beer and
Playing cards with Cousin Mel
It's not Christmas without Grandma
All the family's dressed in black
And we just can't help but wonder
Should we open up her gifts
Or send them back?
Send them back
Now the goose is on the table
And the pudding made of fig
And the blue and silver candles
That would just have matched
The hair on grandma's wig
I've warned all my
Friends and neighbors
Better watch out for yourselves
They should never give a license
To a man who drives a sleigh
And plays with elves
The song "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" by Dr. Elmo is a humorous holiday tune that tells the tale of a grandmother who, after drinking too much eggnog, stumbles out of the house into a snowstorm on Christmas Eve, later found dead with hoofprints on her forehead and incriminating Claus marks on her back. The lyrics convey the disbelief of the family members in the aftermath of the unfortunate event, with the refrain "but as for me and grandpa we believe" emphasizing the possibility of Santa's existence.
However, despite the comedic tone of the song, it also touches on themes of loss, grief, and family togetherness during the holiday season. In the second verse, the family laments the absence of Grandma, stating that "it's not Christmas without Grandma," and wondering what to do with her gifts. The third verse then shifts to the festive mood of Christmas dinner, with the goose on the table and the blue and silver candles that would have matched Grandma's wig.
Overall, "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" is a catchy and entertaining holiday tune that combines humor with a touch of melancholy.
Line by Line Meaning
Grandma got run over by a reindeer
Grandma was hit by a reindeer and died
Walking home from our house Christmas eve
Grandma was walking home by herself after spending Christmas eve at our house
You can say there's no such thing as Santa
Some people do not believe in Santa Claus
But as for me and grandpa we believe
Grandpa and I believe in Santa Claus
She'd been drinking too much eggnog
Grandma had consumed a lot of alcoholic eggnog
And we begged her not to go
We told grandma not to leave because she was not in a fit state
But she forgot her medication, and she
Grandma forgot to take her medication
Staggered out the door into the snow
Grandma walked out of the house drunk and stumbled in the snow
When we found her Christmas morning
We found her dead on Christmas morning
At the scene of the attack
Her body was discovered where she was run over
She had hoof-prints on her forehead
She was trampled by a reindeer and had marks on her forehead
And incriminating Claus marks on her back
There were marks on her back that indicated Santa Claus was involved
Now we're all so proud of grandpa
We are proud of grandpa for handling grandma's death well
He's been taking this so well
Grandpa has coped well with the loss
See him in there watching football
Grandpa is inside the house watching football
Drinking root beer and
He is drinking non-alcoholic root beer
Playing cards with Cousin Mel
He is playing cards with his cousin, Mel
It's not Christmas without Grandma
Christmas will never be the same without Grandma
All the family's dressed in black
Everyone in the family is wearing black as a sign of mourning
And we just can't help but wonder
We are all curious and perplexed
Should we open up her gifts
We are unsure whether to open the presents she gave us
Or send them back?
We do not know whether to return the gifts to the sender
Send them back
We decide to send the gifts back
Now the goose is on the table
We have a cooked goose on the table as part of the Christmas meal
And the pudding made of fig
We also have a fig pudding for dessert
And the blue and silver candles
We have blue and silver candles as part of the decoration
That would just have matched the hair on grandma's wig
The candles would have matched grandma's wig
I've warned all my
I have advised
Friends and neighbors
My friends and the people in the neighborhood
Better watch out for yourselves
They should be careful of their safety
They should never give a license
No one should give a license
To a man who drives a sleigh
To a man who drives a sleigh (like Santa)
And plays with elves
And works with elves
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: RANDY BROOKS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@cadetp4939
The holidays were upon us and things were goin' fine
Till the day I heard the doorbell and a chill ran up my spine.
I grabbed the wife and children as the postman wheeled it in;
A yearly Christmas nightmare had just come back again.
It was harder than the head of Uncle Bucky,
Heavy as a sermon from Preacher Lucky,
One's enough to give the whole state of Kentucky a great big belly ache!
It was denser than a drove of barnyard turkeys;
Tougher than a truckload of all beef jerkey;
Drier than a drought in Albuquerque;
Grandma's Killer Fruitcake!
Now I had to swallow some marginal fare at the family feast
I even downed Aunt Dolly's possum pie just to keep the family peace
I winced at Wilma's gizzard mousse but said it tasted fine.
But the lethal weapon Grandma baked is where I draw the line Chorus
(key change)
It's early Christmas mornin'; the phone rings us awake.
It's Grandma, Pa, she wants to know... how we liked the cake?
Well, Grandma, I never... we couldn't... it was unbelievable, that's for sure!
What's that you say? Oh, no Grandma, please!
Don't send us anymore! Chorus
@sazzy6264
I remember singing this in my school holiday concert in first grade. I still don't know how I remember all the lyrics. Probably because it's as funny to me now as it was then!
@kuroarimiyazaki4628
Omg same
@lindseysavvy
You guys, this is the best Christmas song of ALL TIME. Except for 'Grandpa's Gonna Sue The Pants Off Of Santa'...Dr. Elmo is my hero. No lie.
@freewolf317
youtube has not deleted this video yet because they fear that if they do they will find grandma's fruitcake on their door step!
@gaminganimate4442
Lol
@mxgross
I'm not too fond of fruit cake myself, but that's not why I like this song. I like it because its so funny, that whole family being forced to put up with Grandma's fruit cake recipe and pretending to like it.
@guardianangel9517
I LOVE your music! It brings joy and laughter into Christmas ❤🤍💙🎄⭐🇺🇸
THANK YOU!
@Silentchap
Because, Chris, like many tasty things, there are folks out there who can make them into things that make the creature from the black lagoon look friendly. If you see marshmallows on a fruitcake, watch out. If the cake blunts the knife you use to cut it, get away quick. And if someone drops a piece and it cracks the floor, don't stop to pack.
@jenniferphipps2012
And if someone tries to eat a Fruitcake, even if the Fruitcake is rotten, hit the deck and run for your life.
@DarkMagickan
I love this song. It's a classic.