Deck The Halls
The Canterbury Chorale and Strings Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Our newborn king to see, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
Our finest gifts we bring, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
To lay before the kind, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum, rum-pum-pum-pum, rum-pum-pum-pum
Little baby, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
I am a poor girl too, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
I have no gifts to bring, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
Pum-pum-pum, pum-pum-pum-pum, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum-pum-pum
Shall I play for you pa-rum-pum-pum-pum, rum-pum-pum-pum, rum-pum-pum-pum
Mary nodded, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
The ox and the lamb kept time, little drummer boy
I played my drums for him, ba-dum-pum-pum
I played my best for him, ba-dum-pum-pum
Then he smiled at me, ba-dum-pum-pum
Little drummer boy smiled at me, ba-dum-pum-pum
Our finest gifts we bring, ba-dum-pum-pum
L-l-laying before our king, ba-dum-pum-pum
(Brrra-da-duh-num, pum-pum, brrra-da-duh-num
Duh-nuh-dum-dum, duh-duh-duh-dum, da-dum-dum-dum, dum
Come they told me, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
Our newborn king to see, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
Our finest gifts we bring, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
To lay before the king, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
To lay before the king, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
Hey little drummer boy
Oh little drummer boy, brra-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-dah
I am a poor girl too, what shall I play for you, brra-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-dah
I have no gift to bring, that's fit to give the king, brra-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-dah
(Rum-pum) Rum-pum-pum-pum, (Pum-pum) Rum-pum-pum-pum
When we come, on my drum, me and my drum
Come they told me, a newborn king to see
(Little drummer boy), we bringin' our finest gifts to lay before the king
Rum-rum-pum-pum-pum, rum-rum-pum-pum-pum, oh
Rum-pum-pum-pum, fum-pum-pum-pum
Rum-pum-pum-pum, oh, fa-fa-fa-fa
"Little Drummer Boy" is a Christmas classic about a poor boy who visits the newborn Jesus and plays his drum as a gift for the baby. The song begins with a boy being told that the King is born and he should bring his finest gift, and he decides to play his drum for him. When the boy arrives, he tells the mother that he has no gift that is fit for a king, but he will play his drum for the baby. Despite his poor background, he plays his drum flawlessly, and Jesus smiles at him in response. The song then repeats the same lyrics by mixing up the order of the phrases.
The song is about the idea that everyone has something of value to offer, even if they don't have material possessions. The little drummer boy's gift is his drumming talent, which he gives to the newborn King. His willingness to offer his talent as his best gives him a special place of honor and affirmation from Jesus. The song is a reminder that is still relevant today, that anyone can contribute to bring joy and happiness to others even with the smallest of offerings.
Line by Line Meaning
Come they told me, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
I was informed to come and see the newborn king
Our newborn king to see, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
We were told to come see the newly born king
Our finest gifts we bring, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
We have brought our most valuable gifts to offer
To lay before the kind, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum, rum-pum-pum-pum, rum-pum-pum-pum
To present them before the kind in humble respect
Little baby, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
Beloved little child
I am a poor girl too, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
I am also a humble and poor girl
I have no gifts to bring, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
I do not have any gifts, as valuable as others, to give
That's fit to give the king, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
Nothing that I have is suitable to give to the king
Pum-pum-pum, pum-pum-pum-pum, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum-pum-pum
The drum beats symbolize my willingness to do something for the king
Shall I play for you pa-rum-pum-pum-pum, rum-pum-pum-pum, rum-pum-pum-pum
May I play my drum for you?
Mary nodded, pa-rum-pum-pum-pum
Mary agreed to my request to play my drum for the king
The ox and the lamb kept time, little drummer boy
The animals around are keeping in sync with my drumming
I played my drums for him, ba-dum-pum-pum
I played my drum for him passionately
I played my best for him, ba-dum-pum-pum
I played my drum to the best of my ability
Then he smiled at me, ba-dum-pum-pum
And then the king smiled at me for my performance
Little drummer boy smiled at me, ba-dum-pum-pum
The little drummer boy smiled back with joy
Our finest gifts we bring, ba-dum-pum-pum
We present our most valuable gifts to the king
L-l-laying before our king, ba-dum-pum-pum
Presenting them before the king respectfully
(Brrra-da-duh-num, pum-pum, brrra-da-duh-num
More drum beats signify the ongoing celebration
Duh-nuh-dum-dum, duh-duh-duh-dum, da-dum-dum-dum, dum
And the festive atmosphere goes on
Hey little drummer boy
Oh, beloved little drummer boy
Oh little drummer boy, brra-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-dah
Oh dear drum player
I am a poor girl too, what shall I play for you, brra-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-dah
I am poor as well, but what can I play for you?
I have no gift to bring, that's fit to give the king, brra-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-dah
I don't have anything to present to the king
(Rum-pum) Rum-pum-pum-pum, (Pum-pum) Rum-pum-pum-pum
The rhythm of the drum represents my offering
When we come, on my drum, me and my drum
I come with only my drum to play for you
Come they told me, a newborn king to see
I came to see the newborn king
(Little drummer boy), we bringin' our finest gifts to lay before the king
As the little drummer boy plays, we offer our best gifts before the king
Rum-rum-pum-pum-pum, rum-rum-pum-pum-pum, oh
The continuous drumming sets the mood for the occasion
Rum-pum-pum-pum, fum-pum-pum-pum
The festive mood continues to build up
Rum-pum-pum-pum, oh, fa-fa-fa-fa
The sound of the drum fills the atmosphere with joy
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DP, Katherine Davis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind