Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
Jack Johnson Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Rudolph the red nosed reindeer
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it
You might even say it glows
And all of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games

But then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa, he came to say
Rudolph with your nose so bright
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?

Then how the reindeers loved him
As they shouted out with glee
Rudolph the red nosed reindeer
You'll go down in history

But Rudolph, he didn't go for that
He said, I see through your silly games
How can you look me in the face
When only yesterday, you called me names?
And all of the other reindeers, man, well they sure did feel ashamed




Rudolph, you know we're sorry
We're truly gonna try to change

Overall Meaning

The song "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" tells the story of Rudolph who had a shiny and glowing nose that all of the other reindeer used to make fun of him for. They excluded him from their reindeer games and he was often left alone. However, on one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa Claus realized that Rudolph's nose could guide his sleigh, so he asked Rudolph to lead it. The other reindeer then started to appreciate Rudolph as they all shouted with glee and acknowledged that he will go down in history.


Despite their newfound appreciation for Rudolph, he still did not accept them, as he was hurt by the names they had called him. He called them out for their hypocrisy and made them feel ashamed of their previous behavior. The song ends with the other reindeer apologizing and promising to try to change.


Overall, the song teaches a valuable lesson about acceptance and not judging others based on their appearances. It also highlights the power of forgiveness and that people can change if they truly try.


Line by Line Meaning

Rudolph the red nosed reindeer
There was a reindeer with a red, shiny nose.


Had a very shiny nose
His nose was exceptionally bright.


And if you ever saw it
If you saw his nose.


You might even say it glows
His nose was so bright it looked like it was glowing.


And all of the other reindeer
The rest of the reindeer.


Used to laugh and call him names
Would make fun of Rudolph and ridicule him.


They never let poor Rudolph
Rudolph was never given the opportunity.


Join in any reindeer games
To join in the activities that the other reindeer were involved in.


But then one foggy Christmas Eve
On a particular Christmas Eve when there was lots of fog.


Santa, he came to say
Santa Claus approached Rudolph.


Rudolph with your nose so bright
Santa remarked on Rudolph's bright nose.


Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?
Asked if Rudolph would lead his sleigh.


Then how the reindeer loved him
The other reindeer suddenly had great affection for Rudolph.


As they shouted out with glee
They were excited and expressed it loudly.


Rudolph the red nosed reindeer
Repeating Rudolph's name and referring to his nose again.


You'll go down in history
Rudolph would be remembered forever.


But Rudolph, he didn't go for that
However, Rudolph wasn't impressed.


He said, I see through your silly games
He saw that their behavior towards him had been foolish and unnecessary.


How can you look me in the face
He was questioning why they would make fun of his appearance.


When only yesterday, you called me names?
He reminded them of their past behavior towards him.


And all of the other reindeers, man, well they sure did feel ashamed
The other reindeer felt embarrassed by their previous treatment of Rudolph.


Rudolph, you know we're sorry
They apologised to Rudolph.


We're truly gonna try to change
They promised to change their behavior towards him in the future.




Lyrics © Roba Music Verlag GMBH, ST. NICHOLAS MUSIC INC., Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Johnny Marks

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions