I'm Walking Backwards for Christmas
The Goons Lyrics
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Across the Irish Sea,
I'm walking backwards for Christmas,
It's the only thing for me.
I've tried walking sideways,
And walking to the front,
But people just look at me,
I'm walking backwards for Christmas,
To prove that I love you.
An imigrantal lad, loved an Irish colleen
From Dublin Galway Bay.
He longed for her arms,
But she spurned his charms,
And sailed o'er the foam away
She left the lad by himself, on his own
All alone, a-sorrowing
And sadly he dreamed, or at least that's the
way it seemed, buddy,
That an angel choir for him,
an angel choir did sing.
I'm walking backwards for Christmas,
Across the Irish Sea.
I'm walking backwards for Christmas,
It's the finest thing for me.
And so I've tried walking sideways,
And walking to the front.
But people just laughed, and said,
"It's a publicity stunt".
So I'm walking backwards for Christmas
To prove that I love you.
The Goons' song, I'm Walking Backwards For Christmas, is a humorous and slightly nonsensical tune about a man who is attempting to prove his love to someone by walking backwards for Christmas. The song is filled with absurd imagery, such as walking backwards across the Irish Sea and an angel choir singing for the singer.
The first stanza sets the scene for the song, with the singer declaring that he is walking backwards for Christmas and that it is the only thing for him. He goes on to explain that he has tried other methods, such as walking sideways or forwards, but that people have dismissed them as publicity stunts. The chorus repeats the title and emphasizes the singer's dedication to this backwards walk as a demonstration of his love.
The second stanza introduces a love story in which an immigrant lad falls in love with an Irish colleen from Dublin Galway Bay. She does not return his affections and sails away, leaving the singer alone and sorrowful. He continues to dream about her, imagining an angel choir singing for him. The chorus repeats again, tying the love story back to the singer's backwards walk.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm walking backwards for Christmas,
I am literally walking in reverse to celebrate Christmas
Across the Irish Sea,
I'm doing it while traveling across the water to get to my loved one
It's the only thing for me.
This is the way I want to celebrate and show my affection
I've tried walking sideways,
I attempted a different approach to celebrate, but it didn't have the same effect
And walking to the front,
I tried another unconventional way to celebrate
But people just look at me,
Others saw this as odd or even a publicity stunt
And say it's a publicity stunt.
They believed me to be drawing attention to myself for marketing purposes
To prove that I love you.
The reason behind my unusual celebration is to demonstrate my love for my sweetheart
An immigrant lad, loved an Irish colleen
The story of a young man from a different country enamored with an Irish woman
From Dublin Galway Bay.
The lady was from Galway Bay, but previously resided in Dublin
She left the lad by himself, on his own
Despite his love, she abandoned him and left him to deal with the heartbreak
All alone, a-sorrowing
He was left feeling lonesome and dejected
And sadly he dreamed, or at least that's the way it seemed, buddy,
He had a dismal dream, or, at least, it felt that way
That an angel choir for him, an angel choir did sing.
His dream involved an angelic choir performing for him, possibly alluding to the idea that he was the only one deserving of such a performance due to his dedication to his love
It's the finest thing for me.
Walking backwards for the holiday is the ultimate method for celebrating in his opinion
"It's a publicity stunt".
When he walked sideways or forward, others thought it was a way to attract attention to himself for promotional purposes
So I'm walking backwards for Christmas
In response to the criticism and lack of success from previous attempts, he settled on walking backward for the big day
To prove that I love you.
Once again, the driving force behind the unusual celebration is his love for his significant other
Contributed by Jack J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Leery_Bard
I'm walking backwards for Christmas,
Across the Irish Sea,
I'm walking backwards for Christmas,
It's the only thing for me.
I've tried walking sideways,
And walking to the front,
But people just look at me,
And say it's a publicity stunt.
I'm walking backwards for Christmas,
To prove that I love you.
An immigrant lad loved an Irish colleen
From Dublin Galway Bay.
He longed for her arms,
But she spurned his charms,
And sailed o'er the foam away
She left the lad by himself, on his own
All alone, a-sorrowing
And sadly he dreamed, or at least that's the
Way it seemed, buddy,
That an angel choir for him,
An angel choir did sing.
I'm walking backwards for Christmas,
Across the Irish Sea.
I'm walking backwards for Christmas,
It's the finest thing for me.
And so I've tried walking sideways,
And walking to the front.
But people just laughed, and said,
"It's a publicity stunt".
So I'm walking backwards for Christmas
To prove that I love you.
@lazylaurablue
I wasn't born until 1958, but I have such very fond memories of my very much older brother (a rather good pianist, now almost 80) playing the opening bars to our general amusement or for us to sing along. God knows what the neighbours thought, but we didn't care.
@fred_2021
Those were the days. Maybe I shouldn't say that - but I don't care :)
@chaskenny
Yes, Michael Bentine is the forgotten genius of British humour. I saw him in a one man show. He was superb. His humour was very inventive and without malice. The jokes he told about people were very funny. If they were in the audience, they would have laughed the loudest. If their families were present they would have shed tears of joy and delight. A much missed comic genius.
@Nacho-Mamma
You can’t forget Peter Sellers & Spike Milligan. Without those two, “The Goons” would have never happened.
@jasonoakes9659
I used to love Michael Bentines Potty Time😆
@donpiears
His character came through even on screen. He was a comic genius. I read his book and there he explores a gift the shared. Very interesting man. 'Of Peruvian British' descent, I believe. Would have loved to meet him.
@timpearce3314
I,ts a "publicity stunt" great rhyming!! 68 and still laughing 😂🤣😂😂🤣
@errolflynn4984
The angel choir at 1:51 is "priceless". Grew up listening to these guys and all the better for it. Funny, funny men. Gone but never forgotten.
@nickparry8811
You mean goon...
@christopherwaring8285
WILL NEVER BE ANY COMEDY LIKE THIS AGAIN THERES ONLY ONE GOON LEFT, BORIS JOHNSON!