Posted on 12/22/2012 7:09:10 AM PST by pabianice
Was listening to Fox in the background. A local NYC kids' choir just sang "Winter Wonderland." You know, "In the meadow we will build a snow man, we'll pretend that he is Parson Brown, he'll say 'are you married?' we'll say, 'no, man', but you can do the job when you're in town..."
Except, the new words are, "we'll pretend that he's a circus clown..." and subsequent lyrics delete all reference to religion.
I find this repellant and just one more move toward making any reference to religion unacceptable. As a Jew I'm not up on Christmas songs, but is this what's being allowed to happen to our kids?
I actually heard the womens underwear version in a grocery store — took me by surprise.
I have no problem with the circus clown stanza which is not new. It makes more sense if kids are singing the song!
Don’t believe what you read on Wiki, because it usually isn’t true. That Wiki story is a total fabrication. The song has been unchanged since it was first written.
I guess they are just lucky they didn’t change the lyrics to be more Muslim friendly.....
And we will Pretend it’s Imam Mohammed...he’ll say do you worship Allah...we’ll so NO MAN! He’ll behead us when he’s in town.....
Obama took a jab at reference to religion.Remember when he said they still cling to their Bible and guns.Only four more years left until Mao’s little red book is the new norm.
I always thought it was Orson Brown. Talk about misheard lyrics!
That part never made much sense to me, obviously.
I always thought it was Orson Brown. Talk about misheard lyrics!
That part never made much sense to me, obviously.
re: “Don’t believe what you read on Wiki, because it usually isn’t true. That Wiki story is a total fabrication. The song has been unchanged since it was first written.”
No, the article is quite correct about the other verse being written back in the 1950’s. I’m a music history (classic and pop music) buff and it is quite true that the “clown” verse was written for kids to sing. You are correct that it wasn’t in the original version, but you can find the “clown” verse in kid’s music song books that go back to the 1950’s.
Wiki isn’t always wrong, but it’s true you need to check things out.
It's not actually a Christmas song. No mention of Christ or Christmas in it.
The composer, Felix Bernhard, was at least born Jewish, with a Yiddish-speaking mother. So feel free to sing it all you want.
The lyricist, Richard B. Smith, was in a sanatorium with tuberculosis when he wrote the words, and died young a few years later. So remember it's not entirely a happy song if you do sing it.
The alternative words were written for children to sing in 1953, and it looks like some later revisions kept the "circus clown" but took out the "kids" or "kiddies."
I call songs like those “seasonal secular music,” while others, such as “Silent Night,” or “Adeste Fideles” are true Christmas songs.
Interesting. Unless the lyricist wrote that, according to copyright laws, it’s illegal to do that on a recording.
The complete song has both verses, always has.
Yes, and at around 2:27 in that video, he also sings about the danged circus clown.
So this is not a new thing, it's at least a 54-year-old thing.
I think most of the lyricists and composers of great American Christmas songs were Jewish.
Try finding an Advent calendar that has religious figures rather than Santa or snow men.
I also remember the cirucus clown words from several years ago.
I find ‘Walking in a Winter Wonderland’ repellant in general - and a leading candidate for the title of Most Annoying Song Ever Written. :)
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