Hi this is Tutor Nick P and this is Music Lyrics Explained 8. Today of
course. It's going to be one of the first Christmas songs we're covering which is
Jingle Bells. It's a classic Christmas song. All right. So let's take a look at the
note here first. Jingle bells is one of the most famous Christmas carols. It was
written in 1857 . It's written a long time ago, so that's what you'll see today as
we cover it there is some a certain amount of words that's kind of Old
English. So you sometimes do wonder. Even though we sing it a lot in present time,
in our modern times I think even a lot of people that actually listen to it
listen to so many times don't realize what all the words actually mean. But
anyway, let's continue here. So it's written in 1857 by James Lord Pierpont.
Okay, and the original title was "One-horse Open Sleigh.' So the original title was
not Jingle Bells. It was One-Horse Open Sleigh which is
part of the song. Okay. So well let's, we should take a look at some of the
vocabulary here. Of course, sleigh is a vehicle made for sliding over snow and
usually pulled by dogs or horses. Yes. sleigh is usually a lot larger than sled.
It's probably one that you could sit on or possibly stand on. Now if you say and
an open sleigh of course it means has no roof or has no cover, but it is a lot
bigger than just usually a sled by itself. Sled is a lot smaller when small
children go down like a mountain and once they lie on that would be more like
a sled. Sleigh is a larger one like what Santa Claus has. That's kind of the idea
you know Santa Claus rides in a sleigh. Okay, All right. So let's let's get into the
vocabulary now and we will cover it. All right. So the first one here. So this
is how it goes. Dashing through the snow. All right here. Of
course you know, if we say to dash, dash means to go somewhere very quickly, very
fast. So dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh. All right. Just
like we covered sleigh here. O'er the fields we go.
O'er this is kind of old English. We don't see this written so much anymore,
and actually means over. So it's also literary, which means you're more likely
to see this written, not spoken so much, and it really is an old-fashioned use. So
let's go through this again. Dashing , now remember just like I said,
dashing means either to run or go somewhere very quickly. So dashing
through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh. O'er the fields we go laughing
all the way, and a lot of times in the song, depending upon who recorded it,
or who sang it, sometimes you hear that 'ha ha ha ha. ' You know , we get when they
say laughing all the way. You'll actually hear laughing sounds as well. Sometimes,
All right. Let's continue. Bells on bobtails ring. all right. Let's look at that.
What's a bobtail ? A very short tail of an animal, either natural or cut. So if they
naturally have a small tail, that's a bobtail or maybe in the past they might
have cut their tails a little bit for whatever reason. Maybe, maybe it was a an
advantage somehow. All right. Let's , So let's continue here. So bells on bobtails ring,
making spirits bright. All right your spirit is your mood. So we say spirits
like someone's spirits is someone's mood, someone's attitude. Bright of course
means happy. When you say your spirit, it could be either high or low. You could be
in high spirits which is happy or you could be in low spirits which is not so
happy. But making spirits bright. Right here means happy and lively. Okay so
let's go over that again. Yeah so bells on bobtails ring , making spirits bright.
Oh what fun, what fun it is to ride and sing in a sleighing song tonight. You know,
basically so that's how it goes. So we're having fun in the sleigh riding. Okay and
then it goes into the chorus. Of course, everybody always knows the chorus. Which
is basically jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. You know jingle of course
that that's the sound of a bells ringing together. Ding ding dinging. That's a
jingle. So jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all
the way. Oh what fun, it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh. Hey,
and then they had that 'hey' Again, the open sleigh, meaning that it has no cover,
no roof. Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way. Oh what fun it is to ride in
a one-horse open sleigh. You know, and then it goes on. So of course, the chorus will be
repeated several times throughout the song. Let's go to the second verse though.
This is another one wait you don't know if everybody knows this one. Okay. So we say,
a day or two ago, I thought I'd take a ride. Okay,
and soon miss Fanny Bright was seated by my side. So he's taking a ride and he's got a
girl, probably his girlfriend was seated next to him. The horse was lean and lank.
All right. Lean of course, means you know, thin looking , physically strong. Lean like
similar in this sense meaning slender or lean. So the horse was probably in good
shape. Lean and lank. Misfortune seemed his lot. All right. So
misfortune, Yeah bad luck. Something harmful or unpleasant that
happens to someone. That's what we mean by misfortune here. His lot we often say
like somebody's lot, meaning somebody's overall circumstance or things that
happen to them. We sometimes say your lot in life means that's just the
situation the way your luck has worked out in your life. So, so for this horse
this was misfortune at least on this day. Yeah. So misfortune seemed his lot . He
got into a drifted bank and then we got upsot. All right. So let's look at this.
Drifted referring to the snow. If you say drifted means it's accumulated. So it got
really high. A drifted bank, a long pile of snow or dirt or sand. So maybe it was
along the side of the road. Maybe they didn't recognize
side of the road or maybe the horse horse fell off the side of the road. Yes.
So he got into a drifted bank and then we got upsot. Upsot is also a very old
usage word. It means to tip over or overturn. I'm not sure most people
realize this is what's happening in this song The horse is overturning. They're
all falling down. Bad luck for this horse you know, the song sounds so cheerful. But
this doesn't quite fit in it. But this is part of the song. Okay. So he got into a
drifted bank and then we got upsot. All right. And then of course, they continue with
the the chorus again. You know. Jingle bells, jingle bells. All right. Let's, let's
go right onto the third verse. A day or two ago, the story I must tell. I went out
on the snow and on my back I fell. All right. So he's talking about going out
and he fell down and he fell down on his back laying down. Okay. And on my back I
fell. A gent was riding by. A gent meaning like a short for gentleman or a man. So
some man was riding by in a one-horse open sleigh. He , he laughed as there I
sprawling lie. So meaning, so the guy that is passing him as he fell down he's
lying on the ground with his arms his legs all stretched out. And the other guy
laughed at him. Like hahaha and didn't stop just kept going. Again I don't know if
most people realize this is part of the song. He laughed as there I sprawling lie,
but quickly drove away. And he just kept going. Just left him there like haha
look at you. Haha Didn't stop to see are you hurt ?
Are you okay ? But anyway, that's, that's the song. But the song sounds so cheerful. Really
and then of course we go into the chorus again. Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle
all the way. All right and then we're up to the the
last verse basically. He says now the ground is white. Go it while you're
young. So if the ground is white. It means it snowed, a lot of snow on the ground go it
while you're young. Well, go out and have fun in this snow, especially when
you're younger. Maybe when you're older, you won't enjoy
this snow as much. Yeah. Take the girls tonight and, and sing, and yeah and sing
to sleighing song. Basically. Yeah just, just get a bob-tailed bay. All right. A
bobtail bay. Again we covered bobtails before this is the short tail. A bay means
a horse that is red or brown in color. So he's basically encouraging you, you know go
go get some girls. Go riding. Go have fun. Go have fun in the snow. Well, while
you're young. You know, this is the thing to do. So that it's basically it. Take the
girls tonight and sing this sleighing song. Just get a bob-tailed bay 240 as
his speed. All right. This is a little different. A lot of people sometimes ask
a question what about this 240 ? 240 it was once a trotting record. So it was a
record for I guess racing a horse. The speed of a mile in two minutes and 40
seconds that is pretty fast for horse to do. Of course now, you know, most cars
driving on the highway drive about you know , 60 miles per hour. That's one
minute per mile which of course you expect a car to be much faster than a
horse. But really this is a he's almost about 30 to 40 percent the speed of a
car. That, that's actually pretty fast. Okay. So he got a, yes and just get a
bob-tailed bay ,240 and his speed. Hitch him to an open sleigh.
All right so to hitch means to fasten or connect him to the open sleigh. So
So the horse can pull you of course to an open sleigh. Yes . And crack and
crack you'll take the lead. Crack , crack , they mean like crack the
whip. So here if we say crack. To make a whip make a short sudden loud sound. So
yes make the horse go faster. Yes oh yeah. Hitch him to an open sleigh and crack
you'll take the lead well I'm not sure is there a race going on maybe but
you'll take the lead you'll go. Go out have fun
You know take the women out when you're young go over the snow. That's basically
what it is. But it is a very cheerful song it's one of the most classic ones.
You hear it many times throughout every single Christmas season . Okay. Anyway I hope
you got it. I hope you enjoyed it. Yeah, I hope you realize and understand the
lyrics more now. Anyway, thank you for your time bye-bye.