The Twelve Days of Christmas
The Jimmy Joyce Singers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Twelve dozen kisses, Eleven jars of jelly, Ten silken hankies,
Nine games of scrabble, Eight pairs of cufflinks, Seven books of fiction,
Six golden lighters, Five ivory combs,
Four mission lights, Three golf clubs, Two silken scarfs,
And a most lovely lavender tie.
The Jimmy Joyce Singers' rendition of the traditional Christmas song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas," presents a heartfelt message of family love and appreciation. In the first verse, the singer describes the gifts that they gave their loving dad on the first day of Christmas, highlighting the amount of love and thoughtfulness that went into the selection of each item. The twelve dozen kisses represent an unlimited amount of affection, while the jars of jelly, silken hankies, and games of Scrabble suggest the recipient's practical and intellectual interests. The cufflinks, fiction books, golden lighters, ivory combs, mission lights, golf clubs, silken scarfs, and lavender tie all speak to the father's refined taste and care for his appearance. The choice of such a broad range of presents attests to the deep gratitude and love that the children feel towards their dad.
Line by Line Meaning
On the (first) day of Christmas, we gave our loving dad (my children gave to me)
This song describes a series of gifts given to a father by his children during the twelve days of Christmas.
Twelve dozen kisses
On the first day of Christmas, the father's children gave him twelve dozen kisses, a gesture of affection and love.
Eleven jars of jelly
On the second day of Christmas, the father's children gave him eleven jars of jelly, a sweet and delicious treat.
Ten silken hankies
On the third day of Christmas, the father's children gave him ten silken hankies, luxurious items for keeping clean and tidy.
Nine games of scrabble
On the fourth day of Christmas, the father's children gave him nine games of scrabble, a fun activity for the family to enjoy together.
Eight pairs of cufflinks
On the fifth day of Christmas, the father's children gave him eight pairs of cufflinks, useful and stylish accessories for his wardrobe.
Seven books of fiction
On the sixth day of Christmas, the father's children gave him seven books of fiction, entertaining and imaginative reading material.
Six golden lighters
On the seventh day of Christmas, the father's children gave him six golden lighters, useful for lighting candles or cigarettes.
Five ivory combs
On the eighth day of Christmas, the father's children gave him five ivory combs, a luxurious and useful item for grooming.
Four mission lights
On the ninth day of Christmas, the father's children gave him four mission lights, practical and useful sources of illumination.
Three golf clubs
On the tenth day of Christmas, the father's children gave him three golf clubs, equipment for a sport he enjoys playing.
Two silken scarfs
On the eleventh day of Christmas, the father's children gave him two silken scarfs, luxurious and stylish accessories for keeping warm and fashionable.
And a most lovely lavender tie.
On the twelfth and final day of Christmas, the father's children gave him a most lovely lavender tie, a fashionable and stylish accessory to complete his wardrobe.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: STEVEN JAMES BROWN, FREDERIC AUSTIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tiga4180
Fantastic! Had totally forgotten about this one. Love all those pics of Japanese radios, remember them well.
@AnnieVanAuken
My mom gave me all the right stuff at Christmas. A 2 transistor radio (starter for a little kid), a camera that used flash bulbs and a toy reel tape recorder (when I was 13). All of these influenced my future. I became proficient in electronics, photography and tape, even learned to do trick splices and overdubs on the latter. All those things I mastered and used a half century ago are now confined to the historic dustbin.
As for this video, I worked on it longer than any other on this channel- 3 hours. You know how impossible it is to find a plastic indoor birdbath, chromium combination manicure scissors and cigarette lighter or a satin pillow that says SAN DIEGO with fringe all around it? As Allan might say, Oy.
@tiga4180
@@AnnieVanAuken Yes, getting those artifacts would be tricky. The best thing my dad taught me was how to safely remove a gramophone mainspring & more importantly get it back in its barrel once fixed. I do have one of those tiny portable colour TV's (about the size of a Japanese pocket transistor), but its analogue & all our channels are now digital. So you got a 2 transistor radio? I recall those appearing as kits for home assembly.
@AnnieVanAuken
@@tiga4180 That was my FIRST radio, bought in downtown New Haven probably for a few bucks. It worked OK, as all I cared about as a pre-teen was local Top 40 radio. I get occasional complaints about the "tinny" sound of this channel. What these aural purists aren't aware of is I EQ these recordings for the clearest sound over cell phones, the modern equivalent of our toy transistor radios!
BTW, I lamented when we switched from analog to digital TV until I learned about sub-frequencies. The major stations have up to six subs. With a house antenna, because of where I'm situated (halfway between two major cities) I can get over 100 channels. So who needs cable or satellite?
@tiga4180
@@AnnieVanAuken We also get a huge number of channels. Btw, have you come across the response to all those lavish gifts? https://youtu.be/uKcDatFngGw?si=kr7iCVtqGGdJ8fCP There are a few versions, but the one I recall from 1960's? 1970's? was a genteel & English ladylike response, where the anger & frustration at coping with them all becomes less & less veiled, but retains English middle class correctness. Can't find that version, but thought you may like this one.
@user-ip1ro6qx2b
Allan Sherman was the greatest along with Stan Freberg. Annie, I dig you the most!!!!
@AnnieVanAuken
Richard, I'm so glad you've returned!
A bit of inside baseball: the image at 1:21 is a rarity, a 1956 SONY import.
Although Bell Labs developed the transistor in 1948, Japan had us beat in miniaturization. If you remember your transistor radios, they included a small white plastic square device that served to tune frequencies. In the '50s we didn't have that technology. Our first transistor radio was from General Electric. It was a 10" wide metal box that weighed about three lbs. with several D cells. Great sound (including a tone control), but it used a gigantic metal tuner straight from the 1930s. I know all this because I actually owned one of those radios while in high school, never knowing until it was long-gone that I possessed a museum piece, found at a thrift store in 1969.
@Zuzuyatts
Is the GE that radio in the yellow box that sat out in our kitchen by the back door?@@AnnieVanAuken
@AnnieVanAuken
@@Zuzuyatts No,. it was a portable (with a handle) battery-only, rather large all-metal radio that I found at a thrift store on a side street near the beginning of downtown Chapel St. (within a couple blocks of the RR bridge at Forbes Ave).l It was solid metal, heavy and had white noise at low volume from early transistors. A tone control pot helped with that.
This was literally the first American transistor radio. I got it for $2 because it wasn't working, a gamble that the problem wasn't component-related. Turns out a wire had broken off the negative terminal on the D cell box. A simple solder job. I carried that thing everywhere, and have a vivid memory of hearing a new Beatles song on it as I reached the gravel driveway next to our house. There was a gentle snow, giant clumps rather than individual flakes, that fell on the radio's shiny chrome grill face as I listened for the first time to "Maxwell's Silver Hammer". Isn't it odd that a 54 year old memory can still be so specific?