Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
Ella Fitzgerald/Bing Crosby Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Comet, and Cupid, and Donner and Blitzen)
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all?
Is it Herman? (no)
Is it Shermon? (no)
Is it Eddy, is it Freddy? (no, no no!)
(Oh, you'll never, never guess it, don't snap your cap)
Talkin' 'bout Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
Oh, him
Had a very shiny nose
So I heard they say if you ever saw it
You would even say it glows
Like a hot rasie
All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
(Rudolph is a red nose)
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
"Hey Rudolph, I say Rudolph, with your nose so bright
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
Then how the reindeer's loved him
And they shouted out with glee
(Rudolph, Rudolph, Rudolph)
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
You'll go down in history!
(Well, the stake glows bosset
His snarl snoot
His tuba that glow like a light-ta-root)
With his pink kazoo, he guided the sleigh
(He's a hero)
Why, Rudolph saved the day
Rudolph has got his red nose
In the reign deer hall of fame
Rudolph the red nosed favorite
Of the little reign deer days
Rudolph the North Pole big shot
Rides around in Santa's sleigh
Wearin' a green Fedora
Smoking a cigar all day
(This story has a moral
Anyone can plainly see)
Just keep your red nose a gleemin'
You'll go down in history
(If you keep you nose a red, red rose)
If you keep your beak all pink and sleek
And if you keep your snooze maroon because
You'll go down in history
The song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" tells the story of a young reindeer named Rudolph, who is born with a bright, red nose, something that sets him apart from the other reindeer. Rudolph is teased and excluded from reindeer games because of his unusual feature. On one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa comes to Rudolph and asks him to guide his sleigh, as he is the only reindeer with a nose bright enough to cut through the fog. Rudolph agrees and saves the day. The other reindeer, who previously made fun of Rudolph, now accept him and celebrate him as a hero.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, you know Dasher, and Dancer, and Prancer, and Vixen
You're familiar with the famous reindeer that pull Santa's sleigh
(Comet, and Cupid, and Donner and Blitzen)
These are the other four reindeer in the lineup
But do you recall
But do you remember
The most famous reindeer of all?
The one that surpasses them all in popularity?
Is it Herman? (no)
Is it a reindeer named Herman? (no)
Is it Shermon? (no)
Is it a reindeer named Shermon? (no)
Is it Eddy, is it Freddy? (no, no no!)
Is it either Eddy or Freddy? (No, it's not!)
It is Heart, is it Shaptler, is it Mosteres?
Could it be Heart, Shaptler, or Mosteres? (No, you'll never guess it!)
(Oh, you'll never, never guess it, don't snap your cap)
(You can try to guess all you want but it's unlikely you'll get it)
Talkin' 'bout Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
I'm referring to Rudolph, the reindeer with a red nose
Oh, him
Yes, that's the one
Had a very shiny nose
His nose was extremely bright and eye-catching
So I heard they say if you ever saw it
Rumors have it that if you caught a glimpse of it
You would even say it glows
You'd go as far as to say that it shines
Like a hot rasie
Like a cherry on top of a cake
All of the other reindeer
Every single one of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
Used to make fun of Rudolph by calling him different names
(Rudolph is a red nose)
(The fact that Rudolph has a red nose is the reason for the ridicule)
They never let poor Rudolph
They never allowed Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games
To participate in any games reindeer play amongst themselves
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
On a Christmas Eve when the fog was thick
Santa came to say
Santa approached Rudolph and said
"Hey Rudolph, I say Rudolph, with your nose so bright
"Hey Rudolph, I'm calling on you with your shining nose
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"
Would you lead my sleigh tonight?
Then how the reindeer's loved him
At this point, the other reindeer fell in love with Rudolph
And they shouted out with glee
And they couldn't help but exclaim loudly in excitement
(Rudolph, Rudolph, Rudolph)
(They chanted Rudolph's name numerous times)
Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer
Rudolph, the reindeer with the bright red nose
You'll go down in history!
You'll forever be remembered as part of history!
(Well, the stake glows bosset
(His nose is so bright, it's in charge!)
His snarl snoot
His nose must be a snooty one
His tuba that glow like a light-ta-root)
It shines like a root vegetable, giving off light!
With his pink kazoo, he guided the sleigh
He led the sleigh with his nose like a pink kazoo
(He's a hero)
(He is now a hero)
Why, Rudolph saved the day
Rudolph was responsible for saving the day
Rudolph has got his red nose
Rudolph received recognition for his red nose
In the reign deer hall of fame
This accomplishment earned him a spot in the reindeer hall of fame
Rudolph the red-nosed favorite
Rudolph became the red-nosed reindeer that everybody loved
Of the little reign deer days
During these times of childhood, Rudolph gained great popularity among the younger reindeer group
Rudolph the North Pole big shot
Rudolph was now the big shot at the North Pole
Rides around in Santa's sleigh
Rudolph became a part of Santa's sleigh rides
Wearin' a green Fedora
He's wearing a stylish green hat
Smoking a cigar all day
He now finds pleasure in smoking cigars all day long
(This story has a moral
(This story has a lesson)
Anyone can plainly see)
(It's easily noticeable)
Just keep your red nose a gleemin'
Maintain your unique characteristic to shine and stand out from the rest
You'll go down in history
You'll be remembered and recognized as a historical figure
(If you keep you nose a red, red rose)
(Assuming you keep your nose red)
If you keep your beak all pink and sleek
If you maintain your unique trait, and it remains attractive and distinctive
And if you keep your snooze maroon because
If your characteristic remains in effect
You'll go down in history
You can become legendary
Lyrics © Roba Music Verlag GMBH, DistroKid, ST. NICHOLAS MUSIC INC., Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Johnny Marks
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@michelealvarino137
Thank you for uploading this! This is my favorite version of the song, and I was disheartened when I recently discovered that Spotify removed it. It's such a fun one to hear each year!
@BigBingFan
People forget how adept Bing was with the Language; He honed his craft on "The Kraft Music Hall," on radio, and always had a knack with words--big ones, rhythmic ones, any old words, and was a huge intellect in his own right. I am a Big Bing Fan, but objectively, his favorite woman duet partner was Miss Ella--boy, how they blended together! I thank you for posting this; somehow, even though I thought I had everything, I didn't. Thanks for psoting!
@HickW
Best version ever!!! <3
@tanyahicks8361
I absolutely love this song! I work at the Gap and we play a slightly different version and it just makes you dance, dance and dance. It's a little faster. But, I love this one too. One of my favorites!!!
@ishaa5948
Heard this for the first time a few days ago at Walmart. 😍! That back beat is soooo Hip Hop. Too bad they're not around (RIP) to see what Swing has done. Thanks for posting. Now I need to find that other version 😆
@taddyd1
Wish they had recorded some duet lps like the Armstrong and Clooney projects.
@krisj827
I've been looking for this version of this song everywhere. Thanks for posting!!
@akman45304
Wearin' a green fedora smoking a ceegar all day, classic
@BERTRAMCAT
happy new year from Sverige.-. love Ella
@shakirawilliams6539
My favorite of all time