Merry Christmas, St. Nicholas
We caught and dragged him to the back of the lot
Spooner cuffed and gagged him in segments of flannel,
Mr. Bibo’s got a gun to his heart
Cupid, Donder, Dasher and Blitzen were missin’
And we set the rest away to roam
And we were soakin’ Main Street in kerosene cans
Careful not to fall off the roofs we land on
There were wreaths lining the streets,
And we rocked the pavement
Till the damned things fell down
Cause we all had a brand new dance we wanted to share
So we’d share it till they’d smoke us off
Police see what they see
And they’d gas us till we’d cough up and run
And in the run St. Nick somehow
Unbound himself from capture
And he’s like, “Whoa! I got a knife!”
And we’re like, “Whoa, he’s got a knife!”
And he’s like, “Oh, you better run.” And he said,
“Merry Christmas, good riddance, good night
This Christmas, keep your window, shut tight,
Have yourself a happy new year, just know
You won’t evade my ever-open eyes”
She said, “None of this matters,
This little world I think you found yourself in,
Friendship’s often fickle and friends are forgotten
Don’t let it get in your head, my friend.”
And I ask Old Brown, “What’s it translate into—
This little world we got so comfortable in?”
We drink and read a little ‘bout ourselves
And Old Ben’s got a cig to his lips
It’s so ea-easy to leave
Separation’s always been a serenade
Spooner caught a mouthful and he checked out of town
And we all closed our doors in fear of Santa coming ‘round
There were wreaths lining the streets,
And we rocked the pavement
Till the damned things fell down
Cause we all had a brand new dance and nobody cared
And I was hoping they’d come through,
But maybe I’ll be leavin tonight, and I’ll say
“Merry Christmas, good riddance, good night
This Christmas, my window’s shut tight
Merry Christmas, I’m leaving, goodbye
Merry Christmas, good riddance, good night
Have yourself a happy new year, but the time has come
For me to turn away your ever-open eyes”
credits
from This One's For Tina,
released December 14, 2013
Michael Buckley – Electric guitar
Keith Butler Jr. – Drums, shakers, jingle bells
Sam Candio – Bass
Justin Lacy – Acoustic guitars, vocals, celesta
Aaron Lane – Trumpet
Whitney Lanier – Vocals
Dylan Linehan – Church bells
AJ Reynolds – Saxophone
Music and lyrics by Justin Lacy
Engineered, mixed and mastered by Trent Harrison at Hourglass Studios
Justin Lacy and the Swimming MachineWilmington, North Carolina
The Swimming Machine runs on combustion. Fill it with fuel – a blend of upright bass, sax, guitar, banjo, mandolin, violin,
xylophone and trumpet. To ignite, whistle, shout, and sing. Oxygen is required. Stomp if it gives you any trouble. To get the pistons turning, stir in some tambourines, buckets, shakers, cymbals, spoons, a tin can and as many floor toms as you can get your hands on....more
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