Secret Tape Received At The Untold Offices: said to be from the yet to be released Bob Dylan CD ‘Christmas In The Heart Vol. II’
(A special to our readers, lyrics transcribed by Larry Fyffe)
On the first day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
A white dove a-sailin’ upon the sea
On the second day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
A pair of boots made from Spanish leather
And a white dove a-sailin’ upon the sea
On the third day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
Three washed-out horns
A pair of boots made from Spanish leather
And a white dove a-sailin’ upon the sea
On the fourth day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
Four robins that I can’t hear
Three washed-out horns
A pair of boots made from Spanish leather
And a white dove a-sailin’ upon the sea
On the fifth day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
Five Egyptian rings that sparkle before she speaks
Four robins that I can’t hear
Three washed-out horns
A pair of boots made from Spanish leather
And a white dove a-sailin’ upon the sea
On the sixth day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
Six white geese to saddle up
Five Egyptian rings that sparkle before she speaks
Four robins that I can’t hear
Three washed-out horns
A pair of boots made from Spanish leather
And a white dove a-sailin’ upon the sea
On the seventh day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
Seven swans glidin’ on the river
Six white geese to saddle up
Five Egyptian rings that sparkle before she speaks
Four robins that I can’t hear
Three washed-out horns
A pair of boots made from Spanish leather
And a white dove a-sailin’ upon the sea
On the eighth day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
Eight fair maids a-dwellin’
Seven swans glidin’ on the river
Six white geese to saddle up
Five Egyptian rings that sparkle before she speaks
Four robins that I can’t hear
Three washed-out horns
A pair of boots made from Spanish leather
And a white dove a-sailin’ upon the sea
On the ninth day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
Nine sad-eyed ladies of the lowlands
Eight fair maids a-dwellin’
Seven swans glidin’ on the river
Six white geese to saddle up
Five Egyptian rings that sparkle before she speaks
Four robins that I can’t hear
Three washed-out horns
A pair of boots made from Spanish leather
And a white dove a-sailin’ upon the sea
On the tenth day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
Ten lords to protect my children
Nine sad-eyed ladies of the lowlands
Eight fair maids a-dwellin’
Seven swans glidin’ on the river
Six white geese to saddle up
Five Egyptian rings that sparkle before she speaks
Four robins that I can’t hear
Three washed-out horns
A pair of boots made from Spanish leather
And a white dove a-sailin’ upon the sea
On the eleventh day of Christmas
My true love sent to me
Eleven drain pipes a-smellin’
Ten lords to protect my children
Nine sad-eyed ladies of the lowlands
Eight fair maids a-dwellin’
Seven swans glidin’ on the river
Six white geese to saddle up
Five Egyptian rings that sparkle before she speaks
Four robins that I can’t hear
Three washed-out horns
A pair of boots made from Spanish leather
And a white dove a-sailin’ upon the sea
On the twelfth day of Christmas
I’m speaking strictly for me
Right now, I don’t feel so good
Don’t send me no more presents – no
Oh, I’m sailin’ away, my own true love
I’m sailin’ away in the morning
Is there something I can send you from across the sea
From the place I’ll be landing?
What else is on the site
1: Over 400 reviews of Dylan songs. There is an index to these in alphabetical order on the home page, and an index to the songs in the order they were written in the Chronology Pages.
2: The Chronology. We’ve taken all the songs we can find recordings of and put them in the order they were written (as far as possible) not in the order they appeared on albums. The chronology is more or less complete and is now linked to all the reviews on the site. We have also recently started to produce overviews of Dylan’s work year by year. The index to the chronologies is here.
3: Bob Dylan’s themes. We publish a wide range of articles about Bob Dylan and his compositions. There is an index here. A second index lists the articles under the poets and poetic themes cited – you can find that here.
4: The Discussion Group We now have a discussion group “Untold Dylan” on Facebook. Just type the phrase “Untold Dylan” in, on your Facebook page or follow this link
5: Bob Dylan’s creativity. We’re fascinated in taking the study of Dylan’s creative approach further. The index is in Dylan’s Creativity.
6: You might also like: A classification of Bob Dylan’s songs and partial Index to Dylan’s Best Opening Lines
Christmas in the heart II. How ironic that this song has exactly the same structure as that iconic song “Echad mi yodea” that for centuries is sung once a year on the eve of Passover by Jews all over the world. Makes me wonder if maybe you are misinformed and the upcoming album’s title is “Passover in the heart”.
Can you dig up more info? I am intrigued!
That was indeed to be the original title, but the record company thought potential buyers might misread the title as “By-Pass In The Heart”, and so it was changed so not to decrease sales.
makes sense.
I don’t know if I have seen a site with more nonsense linked from Expecting Rain than this.
The linguistic gymnastics to appear relevant grow thin.
How many readers thought an interesting boot surfaced?
I dunno, Peter, I thought it was kind of fun. I don’t think it’s a crime to have a little fun during the dog days of summer. By the second verse it’s obvious it’s a put-on. From what I’ve heard of Bob, he’s never been above a put-on himself.
My only hope is for another music video as silly as ‘Must be Santa’ was.
You like boots made from plastic rather than pastiche, I take it?
Whew…..for a moment there I thought this was a serious post.
Must Be Santa….Yes, Virginia, there is a video.