I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
Jim Boyd/Norman Luboff's Chorus and Orchestra Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I just came back from a lovely trip along the Milky Way
Stopped off at the North Pole to spend a holiday
I called on dear old Santa Claus
To see what I could see
He took me to his workshop
And told his plans to me, so

[Chorus]
You better watch out, you better not cry
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town
He's making a list and checking it twice
Gonna find out who's naughty and nice
Santa Claus is comin' to town
He sees you when you're sleepin'
He knows when you're a wake
He knows if you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake
Oh! You better watch out, you better not cry
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town

With little tin horns and little toy drums
Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
Santa Claus is comin' to town
And curly head dolls that toddle and coo
Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Then kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee
They're gonna build a Toyland all around the Christmas tree
So! You better watch out, you better not cry
Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town

Now Santa is a busy man, He has no time to play
He's got millions of stockings to fill on Christmas day
You'd better write your letter now
And mail it right away
Because he's getting ready
His reindeer's and his sleigh. So

[Chorus]

With little tin horns and little toy drums
Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
Santa Claus is comin' to town
And curly head dolls that toddle and coo
Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
Santa Claus is comin' to town
Then kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee
They're gonna build a Toyland all around the Christmas tree
So! You better watch out, you better not cry




Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is comin' to town

Overall Meaning

The first verse of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" sets the scene for the rest of the song. The singer says that they have just returned from a trip to the North Pole, where they stopped to visit Santa Claus himself. He takes the singer to his workshop and shows them his plans for Christmas, which we can assume involve making toys for children. The rest of the song is a warning to children to behave themselves because Santa Claus is watching and knows who's been naughty or nice. He's making a list and checking it twice, and he's coming to town on Christmas Eve to reward all the good children with presents.


The chorus of the song is repeated several times throughout, and it reinforces the idea that Santa Claus is always watching and knows who's been good or bad. The lyrics urge children to be on their best behavior because they don't want to end up on Santa's naughty list. The verses are filled with descriptions of the kinds of toys that Santa Claus will be bringing to the children of the world, including little tin horns, curly head dolls, elephants, boats, and kiddie cars. The song ends on a joyful note, with the promise of a Toyland built around the Christmas tree, where children will have a jubilee.


Line by Line Meaning

I just came back from a lovely trip along the Milky Way
I went on a wonderful journey through the galaxy and came back


Stopped off at the North Pole to spend a holiday
I took a break at the North Pole for my vacation


I called on dear old Santa Claus
I visited Santa Claus


To see what I could see
To observe what was happening


He took me to his workshop
He showed me his workplace


And told his plans to me, so
And shared his plans with me


You better watch out, you better not cry
Be cautious and try not to cry


Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Don't sulk, let me explain why


Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa Claus is arriving soon


He's making a list and checking it twice
He is making a list and verifying it twice


Gonna find out who's naughty and nice
He'll figure out who's been bad or good


He sees you when you're sleepin'
He observes you when you're sleeping


He knows when you're awake
He's aware when you're awake


He knows if you've been bad or good
He knows if you've been well-behaved or naughty


So be good for goodness sake
Therefore, be well-behaved just for the sake of it


Oh! You better watch out, you better not cry
Oh! Be careful and don't cry


Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Don't sulk, let me explain why


Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa Claus is arriving soon


With little tin horns and little toy drums
Accompanied by small horns and toy drums


Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
Making sounds such as 'toot toot' and 'tum tum'


And curly head dolls that toddle and coo
And dolls with curly hair that walk and make cooing sounds


Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
Also, elephants, boats, and small cars for children


Then kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee
Soon, the children in the land of girls and boys will be ecstatic


They're gonna build a Toyland all around the Christmas tree
They're going to construct a Toyland around the Christmas tree


Now Santa is a busy man, He has no time to play
Santa is quite busy and doesn't have time for leisure


He's got millions of stockings to fill on Christmas day
He has an enormous number of stockings to fill on Christmas


You'd better write your letter now
You should write your letter right away


And mail it right away
And send it immediately


Because he's getting ready
Because he's preparing for his task


His reindeers and his sleigh. So
His reindeers and his sleigh. Therefore,


With little tin horns and little toy drums
Accompanied by small horns and toy drums


Rooty toot toots and rummy tum tums
Making sounds such as 'toot toot' and 'tum tum'


And curly head dolls that toddle and coo
And dolls with curly hair that walk and make cooing sounds


Elephants, boats, and kiddie cars too
Also, elephants, boats, and small cars for children


Then kids in Girl and Boy land will have a jubilee
Soon, the children in the land of girls and boys will be ecstatic


They're gonna build a Toyland all around the Christmas tree
They're going to construct a Toyland around the Christmas tree


So! You better watch out, you better not cry
So be careful and don't cry


Better not pout, I'm telling you why
Don't sulk, let me explain why


Santa Claus is comin' to town
Santa Claus is arriving soon




Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Haven Gillespie, J. Fred Coots

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