Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
●
●
●
●
●
out of sight
yuletide (old-fashioned or literary)
of yore (literary)
fate
muddle through
● the period around Christmas
● a power that some people believe
causes and controls all events
● of a long time ago
● to manage to do something
although you are not organized
and do not know how to do it
● cannot be seen
Judy Garland, the shining star of Hollywood’s Golden Era, sang it first for a scene in Meet Me in
St Louis (1944) in which her character comforts her younger sister, Margaret.
Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Let your heart be light
Next year all our troubles, will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the Yuletide gay
Next year all our troubles, will be miles away
Once again, as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Will be near to us once more
Someday soon we all will be together
If the fates allow
Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now
1‘Have
Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ could have had very different words
Have yourself a merry little Christmas.
It may be your last.
Next year we may all be living in the past.
Have yourself a merry little Christmas.
Pop that champagne cork.
Next year we may all be living in New York.
No good times like the olden days.
Happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who were dear to us.
Will be near to us no more.
But at least we all will be together.
If the Lord allows.
From now on, we'll have to muddle through somehow.
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now.
Garland objected to the original lyrics, saying they were too depressing and if she
were to sing them, “Margaret will cry, and they’ll think I’m a monster”.
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