12 Songs of Christmas: Little Drummer Boy
Each day until Christmas, I am going to write briefly about a Christmas song I enjoy. Because I can, that's why. And I an unabashed corny dork.
Okay, this is a very mawkish song. And okay, there are very few good versions of this. Everyone seems to want to lean into the pathos of it to an alarming degree. It may be the most country music song of all the Christmas carols. (What do you get when you play a country song backwards? You get your truck back, then your dog back, then your wife back. What do you get when you play this song backwards? You get your savior back, then the Temple back, then the apple back.) But I cannot help but love it.
First, it is a very human song, shrinking the divine down to a human scale -- just two small children trying to connect. Second, it is a reminder that the best of Christianity is its focus on love and charity. It is easy to be cynical about organized religion. And believe me, this lapsed Catholic is as cynical as they come. But there is a lot of unalloyed good in the Gospels. And this song's focus on bringing a gift that comes from your heart, and having that gift be the equal of gold and precious spices, emphasis that message. Being a Christan the way the Bible wants you to is hard -- I suspect that is the reason so many right-wing Christians focus on homosexuality and other such issues. Easier to condemn something you are not and could never be than to focus yourself on living a life of devotion, self-sacrifice, and service to others. This song is a small reminder of the importance of remembering what the Bible actually considers important.
https://open.spotify.com/track/20sPhJwYPj1ZamBXg2QVqr?si=516fa3680b6d4087
Come they told me
Pa rum pum pum pum
A new born 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,
Rum pum pum pum,
Rum pum pum pum
So to honor him
Pa rum pum pum pum
When we come
Pum pum pum pum
Pa rum pum pum
Pum pum pum pum
Pa rum pum pum
Pum pum pum pum
Pa rum pum pum
Pum pum pum pum pa rum
Little baby
Pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too
Pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring
Pa rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give our king
Pa rum pum pum pum,
Rum pum pum pum,
Rum pum pum pum
Shall I play for you
Pa rum pum pum pum
Pa rum pum pum
Pum pum pum pum
Mary nodded
Pa rum pum pum pum
The ox and lamb kept time
Pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for him
Pa rum pum pum pum
I played my best for him
Pa rum pum pum pum,
Rum pum pum pum,
Rum pum pum pum
Then he smiled at me
Pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum