My tastes in music is varied and eclectic or a varied mixture of what I like. On one hand, I love Robert Earl Keen’s Christmas with the Family and on the other, there is the Three Tenores (Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, Luciano Pavarotti)version of John Lennon’s Happy Christmas song. Keen’s song is so typical of many Real Texas redneck families and I love it. Lennon’s song he co-wrote with Yoko Ono was an early protest song was released in 1971 and was a song of protest against the war in Vietnam. Although that is the defining war of my generation, it still appropriate for today.
Neither song defines me or my politics, it’s just that I like both of them. The songs define what many think from time to time.
The Happy Christmas song lyrics are based on an anti-war campaign in late 1969 by Lennon and Ono, who rented billboards and posters in eleven major cities around the world that read: “WAR IS OVER! (If You Want It) Happy Christmas from John and Yoko”. In 1971, the United States was deeply entrenched in the unpopular Vietnam War. The line “War is over, if you want it, war is over, now!” was taken directly from the billboards.
It was interesting that the melody and chord structure are from the folk standard “Stewball” the racehorse, Lennon and Ono added the key changes (shifting back and forth between A and D) and the “War is over” counter-melody.
The song was recorded in 1971 in New York City with producer Phil Spector. The song starts with Lennon and Yoko Ono speaking Christmas greetings to their children. If you listen closely to the original song sung by them you can hear Happy Christmas Kyoko and Happy Christmas, Julian.
Keen’s Merry Christmas from the Family was first recorded in 1994 and is Keen’s description of Christmas holidays in Texas. Keen said, “I never saw a chestnut until I was 30 years old and then it was a picture in a book.” Keen grew up in Houston and never saw snow at Christmas time or any of the traditional Christmas images of snow or sleigh-bells and such. His song describes a fairly dysfunctional Texas family enjoying a Christmas gathering.
Keen wrote a sequel to that song called Happy Holidays, Y’all.
Two songs here…
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It’s 7 pm, Christmas Eve. i’m sitting here with some great Jim Reeves Christmas music playing and waiting for Santa. Got the cookies and milk sitting out on the coffee table and have made a big clearing under the tree for whatever he might bring me. I’m hoping for something really goooood!
I can hear the north wind whistling through the trees outside, and the moonbeams are bouncing off the frozen lawn and pine trees in our front yard.
Can’t wait till in the morning when I wake up and jump out of bed and race down the hall to see what Santa left for me, and see what is in the stockings hung from the mantle. I know there will be an apple, orange, and an assortment of nuts plus some small toys.
After we exchange gifts, we will get dressed and head out to church. We’ll have to wear lots of heavy clothes and our big warm coats. Dad will go out to the barn and hook up the two horses to the sleigh and we’ll head out through the snow, by the frozen pond and across the bridge on our way to church. All our friends and neighbors will be there to celebrate the birth of Christ. We’ll sing some nice Christmas hymns, some carols and enjoy real fellowship with others from our small village.
Then we’ll head home. Snow will be flying through the air, collecting on our clothes and in our hair. By the time we get to our house our cheeks will be red as an apple and almost frozen. We’ll rush into the house and head for the big wood heater in the living room. Dad will throw on another couple of logs and the stove will get so hot that we’ll all have to back up to keep our clothes from getting scorched.
In a little bit Mother will have our Christmas dinner on the table, most of it that she fixed earlier before we went to church. There will be turkey and dressing with gravy, ham, sweet potatoes and marshmallows, cranberry sauce, green beans and bacon, English peas, green salad and all the trimmings. Mother will have hot rolls, and butter made from Ol Bessie’s milk, coffee for the adults, and hot chocolate for us kids. Afterwards we will have our choice of mince meat, pecan, apple, or pumpkin pie.
I know the Lord has blessed us this year. We have much for which we can be thankful. May HE continue to bless this country and give courage to those who are not as fortunate as we are, may HE bless those who are sick and dying, and those who are alone and troubled.
I hope you have been blessed also. May you have a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy New year.