Parade of the Wooden Soldiers
Léon Jessel Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And everything is quiet for the night
When suddenly the clock strikes twelve, the fun's begun
The dolls are in their best arrayed
There's going to be a wonderful parade
Hark to the drum, oh here they come cries everyone
There's the captain stiff as starch
Bayonets flashing, music is crashing
As the wooden soldiers march
Sabers a-clinking, soldiers a-winking at each pretty little maid
Here they come, here they come
Here they come, here they come
Wooden soldiers on parade
The toy shop door is locked up tight
And everything is quiet for the night
When suddenly the clock strikes twelve, the fun's begun
The dolls are in their best arrayed
There's going to be a wonderful parade
Hark to the drum, oh here they come cries everyone
Hear them all cheering, now they are nearing
There's the captain stiff as starch
Bayonets flashing, music is crashing
As the wooden soldiers march
Hear them all cheering, now they are nearing
There's the captain stiff as starch
Bayonets flashing, music is crashing
As the wooden soldiers march
Hear them all cheering, now they are nearing
There's the captain stiff as starch
Another version:
The toy shop door is locked up tight
And everything is quiet for the night.
And suddenly the clock strikes twelve,
The fun's begun!
The dolls are in their best arrayed,
There's going to be a wonderful parade.
Hark to the drum,
Oh, here they come, cries everyone
Hear them all cheering,
Now they are nearing,
There's the captain stiff as starch.
Bayonets flashing,
Music is crashing,
As the wooden soldiers march;
Sabers a-clinking,
Soldiers a-winking,
At each pretty little maid.
Here they come!
Here they come!
Here they come!
Here they come!
Wooden soldiers on parade.
Daylight is creeping,
Dollies are sleeping.
In the toy shop window fast;
Soldiers so jolly,
Think of each dolly,
Dreaming of the night that's past.
When in the morning,
Without warning,
Toyman pulls the window shade,
There's no sign the Wood brigade
Was ever out upon parade.
The song "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" is about a magical moment at night. The toy shop is closed and everything is quiet until the clock strikes midnight. Suddenly, the dolls come to life, dressed in their best outfits, and have a wonderful parade. The song tells us that the parade is led by a stiff captain and the wooden soldiers, who march with bayonets flashing and music playing.
The second verse of the song talks about how the soldiers wink at each pretty little maid while swords clink. The next verse emphasizes the happiness from the parade as everyone cheers, and finally, the last verse reveals that when daylight comes and the dolls fall asleep again, it's like nothing ever happened. However, the soldiers recall the joyful parade, and the dolls dream about it throughout the night.
Overall, the song speaks to the power of imagination, especially when it comes to childhood toys. Children often have favorite toys with which they create entire worlds and adventures, and this song captures that magical feeling that anything is possible if you let your imagination run wild.
Line by Line Meaning
The toy shop door is locked up tight
The door to the toy store is secure and cannot be entered
And everything is quiet for the night
There is silence as the store has shut for the night
When suddenly the clock strikes twelve, the fun's begun
The clock rings, and everything comes to life in the store as it's a magical place
The dolls are in their best arrayed
The dolls are dressed in their most beautiful attire
There's going to be a wonderful parade
A parade of toys is about to happen
Hark to the drum, oh here they come cries everyone
The sound of the drum announces the arrival of the toys to everyone's excitement
Hear them all cheering, now they are nearing
As the toys approach, everyone cheers and anticipates their arrival
There's the captain stiff as starch
The lead toy soldier is standing tall and still like a starched shirt
Bayonets flashing, music is crashing
The wooden bayonets shine, and the music is loud and intense
As the wooden soldiers march
The toy soldiers walk in unison and rhythm
Sabers a-clinking, soldiers a-winking at each pretty little maid
The toy soldiers wink at the pretty doll maids while their swords make a clinking sound
Here they come! Here they come! Here they come! Here they come! Wooden soldiers on parade
The wooden toy soldiers are marching down the street in their parade
Daylight is creeping, Dollies are sleeping
The sun is rising, and the dolls are back to being stationary and not moving
In the toy shop window fast
The toys are displayed in the store window
Soldiers so jolly, Think of each dolly, Dreaming of the night that's past
The toy soldiers remember the exciting night of their parade, and they wonder what the dolls dreamt about
When in the morning, Without warning, Toyman pulls the window shade
The storekeeper closes the window to the store in the morning without telling the toys
There's no sign the Wood brigade Was ever out upon parade
There is no trace that the wooden toy soldiers had their parade as they are still as still can be
Contributed by Carter W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@caitrose2198
This is very clean and well done but god it’s like if they crack a single smile they’ll spontaneously combust
This song is fun guys you don’t gotta look miserable 😂
@Jmpmaster83
Discipline is how we play in the Army. It’s still fun 😂
@Borolad116
They're just concentrating I suppose. Something like this is incredibly difficult to do.
@writerinfact1768
Precise poetry in motion - to an excellent musical rendition! Thank you.
@123AllEyesOnMe.
I love how happy the music is compared to hoe serious they are 😭
@tammie1078
I miss this song, forgot where I heard this
@stankafajfaric5570
Poštovana gospodo ,parada je predivna.Fenomenalna .Hvala vam što dijelite vaš talent.23. 12 .2021…
@dgetz101
Great choreography of motion to music!
@ninirosso9866
So nice! Congrats and Greetings from Argentina! 🇦🇷👏🏻
@panswift2853
They were using the old 1903 Springfield rifles with the bolt assemblies removed. The bayonets appear to be real so if their was a mistake ti could be serious.