The Twelve Days of Christmas
Salvation Army Band Lyrics
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A partridge in a pear tree
On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Three French hens, two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
Four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Five gold rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Six geese a laying, five gold rings, four calling birds
Three French hens, two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying, five gold rings
Four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the eighth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Eight maids a milking, seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying
Five gold rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Nine drummers drumming
On the tenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Ten pipers piping
Nine drummers drumming, ten pipers piping
Drumming, piping, drumming, piping
Eight maids a milking, seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying
Five gold rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Eleven ladies dancing, ten pipers piping, nine drummers drumming
Eight maids a milking, seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying
Five gold rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Twelve Lords a leaping, eleven ladies dancing, ten pipers piping
Nine, drummers drumming, eight maids a milking
Seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying
And five gold rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree, and a partridge in a pear tree
"The Twelve Days of Christmas" is a traditional English Christmas carol that tells the story of a generous true love who sends various gifts over the course of twelve days. Each verse of the song adds a new gift to the previous ones, resulting in a cumulative and extravagant list of presents.
The first verse begins with the gift of a partridge in a pear tree. The partridge symbolizes Christ, and the pear tree could possibly represent the cross. This initial gift can be seen as a symbol of God's love and sacrifice.
In the subsequent verses, the gifts continue to accumulate. The second day brings two turtle doves, which could symbolize the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. The third day introduces three French hens, possibly representing faith, hope, and charity. These gifts, along with the previous ones, exemplify a growing abundance of blessings.
With each passing day, more gifts are added. The fourth day introduces four calling birds, which are believed to represent the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The fifth day brings five gold rings, which signify the first five books of the Old Testament, also known as the Pentateuch.
On the sixth day, six geese-a-laying are added, symbolizing the six days of creation in the book of Genesis. The seventh day brings seven swans-a-swimming, which may represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit or the seven sacraments in Christianity.
As the song progresses, the gifts continue to grow in number. On the eighth day, eight maids-a-milking are added, possibly representing the eight beatitudes or the eight people saved in Noah's Ark. The ninth day introduces nine drummers drumming, and the tenth day includes ten pipers piping. These musical elements could represent the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit and the ten commandments, respectively.
On the eleventh day, eleven ladies dancing are added, possibly symbolizing the eleven faithful apostles. Finally, on the twelfth day, twelve Lords-a-leaping are included, which could represent the twelve points of belief in the Apostles' Creed.
At the end of the song, all the gifts are repeated, emphasizing the abundance and extravagance of the true love's generosity. The inclusion of the partridge in a pear tree is a reminder of Christ's presence throughout the twelve days of celebration.
Overall, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is a joyful and symbolic song that represents the bountiful gifts and blessings of the Christmas season, while also reminding us of the central role of Jesus Christ in the Christian faith.
Line by Line Meaning
On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me
My true love gave me a gift on the first day of Christmas
A partridge in a pear tree
It was a partridge sitting on a pear tree
On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me
On the second day, my true love gave me another gift
Two turtle doves
Those gifts were two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
Besides the turtle doves, there was still a partridge in a pear tree
On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Yet another gift arrived on the third day
Three French hens, two turtle doves
I received three French hens, along with the two turtle doves
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Once again, my true love surprised me with a new gift on the fourth day
Four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves
This time, the gift consisted of four calling birds, three French hens, and two turtle doves
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
On the fifth day, I received yet another gift
Five gold rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves
This gift was comprised of five gold rings, four calling birds, three French hens, and two turtle doves
On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Continuing the trend, my true love sent me a present on the sixth day
Six geese a laying, five gold rings, four calling birds
The gift for the sixth day included six geese laying eggs, along with five gold rings and four calling birds
Three French hens, two turtle doves
Additionally, there were three French hens and two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
The partridge in the pear tree was still there alongside the other gifts
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me
On the seventh day, I received another surprise from my true love
Seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying, five gold rings
This time, I was given seven swans swimming, six geese laying eggs, and five gold rings
Four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves
The gift also included four calling birds, three French hens, and two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
Of course, the partridge in the pear tree remained part of the collection
On the eighth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
The eighth day brought another gift from my true love
Eight maids a milking, seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying
This time, the gift consisted of eight maids milking, seven swans swimming, and six geese laying eggs
Five gold rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves
The gift also included five gold rings, four calling birds, three French hens, and two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
Last but not least, the partridge in the pear tree was still part of the presents
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
The ninth day marked the arrival of yet another gift
Nine drummers drumming
This gift included nine drummers drumming
On the tenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
On day ten, my true love once again sent me a gift
Ten pipers piping
This time, the gift consisted of ten pipers piping
Nine drummers drumming, ten pipers piping
So, the gift was a combination of nine drummers drumming and ten pipers piping
Drumming, piping, drumming, piping
They played their drums and pipes in harmony
Eight maids a milking, seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying
Additionally, I still had eight maids milking, seven swans swimming, and six geese laying eggs
Five gold rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves
The previous gifts were also part of this day's package - five gold rings, four calling birds, three French hens, and two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
Lastly, the partridge in the pear tree was still included
On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me
The eleventh day brought another surprise from my true love
Eleven ladies dancing, ten pipers piping, nine drummers drumming
The gift included eleven ladies dancing, along with the ten pipers piping and the nine drummers drumming
Eight maids a milking, seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying
The eight maids milking, seven swans swimming, and six geese laying eggs were still part of the presents
Five gold rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves
The gifts from the previous days were also included - five gold rings, four calling birds, three French hens, and two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree
Of course, the partridge in the pear tree remained as well
On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
The twelfth day marked the grand finale of gifts from my true love
Twelve Lords a leaping, eleven ladies dancing, ten pipers piping
The gift consisted of twelve Lords leaping, eleven ladies dancing, and ten pipers piping
Nine, drummers drumming, eight maids a milking
There were still nine drummers drumming and eight maids milking
Seven swans a swimming, six geese a laying
Additionally, the seven swans swimming and six geese laying eggs were part of the gifts
And five gold rings, four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves
The presents from the previous days were also included - five gold rings, four calling birds, three French hens, and two turtle doves
And a partridge in a pear tree, and a partridge in a pear tree
Finally, the partridge in the pear tree marked the end of the twelve days of Christmas, symbolizing the lasting love and joy shared between my true love and me
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GEORGE C. JR CORY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind