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CHRISTMAS SOCKS
The music's finally done
But the hardest part has barely just begun
Because to find a melody
Is just an exercise in tonal modality
But now the task at hand
Is to find a way to say what must be said
In a way that will land
And staring at the empty page
You realize there's nothing new
These days
Yes now it's time for words
Time to say something that no one's ever heard
It's time to find a metaphor
That says they already have just what they're looking for
Maybe I can find
A quotation from a thinker who deals in the sublime
Or perhaps a clever paraphrase
Of what must have already been said
A million different ways
Perhaps a bit of Christmas prose that makes a point about inclusion
Citing Rudolph's shiny nose
When it all seems cringe-y, old and wrong
Does the world really need another Christmas song?
Cause we're here
Still looking for some answers
We're here
Has it already been a year?
We're here
Making course corrections
We're here
Pushing down the fear
We're here
But the ones we love are dying
We're here
And our kids have lost their way
We're here
But the cost of living's climbing
We're here
And there are all those bills to pay
We're here
Let's write this one together
We're here
All searching for the rhyme
We're here
A little comfort in the moment
And a reminder that we're all on borrowed time
But a fancy Advent word from me
Is just a pair of Christmas socks
For it seems to me the mystery
Will never fit into this box
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BLUE BELLS FOR CHRISTMAS
She said it’s time I wished you Merry Christmas
Cuz you’ve been a good boy all year
He said I know- you don’t have to tell me
She said Well come on-sit right here
He said it’s time-She’s wishing me Merry Christmas
Cuz Lord knows I’ve been good all year!
She said You know, I’ve been meaning to tell you
You’re the one thing that I hold dear
And he said O Holy Night
She said it’s time I wished you Merry Christmas
I went out shopping and I bought you this
He said My Love, you didn’t have to buy me nothing
All I need this Christmas is that first kiss
She said It’s a silent night- a holy night
She said All is calm- all is bright
And kissing you right now just wouldn’t be right
(Lord, have mercy)
She said it’s time I wished you Merry Christmas
You should take a break from shovellin' my snow
He said I’m fine with blue bells for Christmas
Cuz to a good boy No means No.
And It’s a silent night- a holy night
All is calm- all is right
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TALKING CHRISTMAS HOME INVASION BLUES
One year, as December rolled around
I heard some rumours that made me frown
I heard talk of a man in a big red suit
Who’d break into your house to drop off loot
Parents and children all seemed pretty excited
They were talking like this guy was some kind of saint
The burglar’s name was Santa Claus
And he had no respect for the country’s laws
He’d travel around in a reindeer sled
And break into your house while you slept in bed
I heard a mother say to her son, “He knows if you’ve been bad or good”
I said, “This guy’s as bad as they come”
I know the law, I know my rights
No one can bust in my house at night
I don’t care if this guy brings gifts along
The law’s the law, and what he’s doing is wrong
I reported him to the police, but they just laughed—I couldn’t believe it
The cops are on his payroll
When I saw that the cops weren’t going to help
I said, I’ll just have to deal with him myself
I’ll teach Santa a valuable lesson--
He’ll learn about the man with whose rights he’s messin’
So long, North Pole
Hello, Wild West
When the calendar said it was Christmas Eve
I was ready to meet this big-boned thief
I hid by the tree with the Christmas candy
Feeling like some kind of vigilante
After he sees me, he won’t be leaving with his reindeer
The bucks stop here
Around nine o’clock I heard my front door shake
So off I ran like it was Judgment Day
Opened the door, I went barreling
Tackled some folks who were Christmas carolling
I screamed, “Santa Claus is coming to town!”
They said they didn’t take requests
My nerves were shaken by the false alarm
I’d ripped my pants and cut my arm
So I hid back down by the Christmas candy
With my good arm around a bottle of brandy
When I woke up my wife was on the couch, there were presents underneath the tree
I was crying on the carpet
Every child has dreams about doing good
They want to be Batman or Robin Hood
And I guess in this way I’m young and spry
‘Cause I still believe I can catch this guy
His reindeer might be able to lift him above my rooftop
But they can’t lift him above the law!
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JESUS, TINY LITTLE KING
Jesus, tiny little king
Ruler of everything
The beggars dance and children sing
Welcome to your world
A barn with an animal parade
Do you remember all these animals you made?
The pigeons talking underneath the roof
That donkey who’s got trouble with one hoof
Jesus, tiny little king
Ruler of everything
The beggars dance and children sing
Welcome to your world
Of all the shepherds, I feel the most for Seth
He’s smiling, but his mother’s close to death
She’s coughing blood and what’s more
Her temperature is stuck at 104
Jesus, tiny little king
Ruler of everything
The beggars dance and children sing
Welcome to your world
The inn next door is getting kind of loud
But, so far, it sounds like the happy kind of crowd
Someone sticks his head in the barn then walks away
He didn’t notice you there in the hay
Jesus, tiny little king
Ruler of everything
The beggars dance and children sing
Welcome to your world
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A BABY THAT NEVER CRIED
There's Joe and his girlfriend
There's sheep herders and learned men
There's a paranoid monarch committing infanticide
And there's a baby that never cried
There's motels and mangers
There's heavenly strangers
There's people bringing gifts from far and wide
To see the baby- the one that never cried
Can someone please tell me why it always plays out this way
All this fuss about a child not born on Christmas Day?
There's salvation and scandal
And lighting one another's candles
There's signs and songs of wonder sung in the sky
In celebration of the baby that never cried
And they sing
For unto us a child is born
For unto us a child is born
And unto us a song is given
Unto us a son is given
And the
Government shall be upon his shoulder
Government shall be upon his shoulder
He shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Almighty God
Everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace
Can someone please tell me why it always plays out this way
All this fuss about a child not even born on Christmas Day?
Because there's beggars and there's choosers
There's winners and there's losers
And there's those who never even get the chance to try
To see the baby- the one that never cried
There's the haves and the have-nots
There's Fate, drinking cheap shots
And there's all those questions that begin with the word 'Why'
That I'm supposed to take to the baby that never cried
Can someone please tell me why it always plays out this way
All this fuss about a child not born on Christmas Day?
I hope you don't think it's sin, but there's no room at my Inn
For the baby that never cried on Christmas Day
For the baby that never cried on Christmas Day
For the baby that never cried
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6. |
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CHRISTMAS SOCKS
The music's finally done
But the hardest part has barely just begun
Because to find a melody
Is just an exercise in tonal modality
But now the task at hand
Is to find a way to say what must be said
In a way that will land
And staring at the empty page
You realize there's nothing new
These days
Yes now it's time for words
Time to say something that no one's ever heard
It's time to find a metaphor
That says they already have just what they're looking for
Maybe I can find
A quotation from a thinker who deals in the sublime
Or perhaps a clever paraphrase
Of what must have already been said
A million different ways
Perhaps a bit of Christmas prose that makes a point about inclusion
Citing Rudolph's shiny nose
When it all seems cringe-y, old and wrong
Does the world really need another Christmas song?
Cause we're here
Still looking for some answers
We're here
Has it already been a year?
We're here
Making course corrections
We're here
Pushing down the fear
We're here
But the ones we love are dying
We're here
And our kids have lost their way
We're here
But the cost of living's climbing
We're here
And there are all those bills to pay
We're here
Let's write this one together
We're here
All searching for the rhyme
We're here
A little comfort in the moment
And a reminder that we're all on borrowed time
But a fancy Advent word from me
Is just a pair of Christmas socks
For it seems to me the mystery
Will never fit into this box
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The Burnt Thicket Theatre Christmas Presence event is 'a unique mashup of stories and songs that explores the Nativity with a messy but joyful hope' that takes place every year. All proceeds from the sale of this compilation go to this event.
Created on Treaty 6 Territory
released December 1, 2023
Darryl Dozlaw: piano, acoustic guitar, banjo, keyboards, electronic percussion, cigarbox guitar, hand drum, hambone, voice, recording and mixing
Wyndham Thiessen: cello, guitar, harp, banjo, fiddle, handclaps, voice
Tim Bratton: electric guitar
Louise Buhler: guitar, voice
Shane Buhler: drums
"a neighbourhood record"
