Once On A Sunday Morning
Composer(s): Luis Aguile; Alan Blakley;
Len "Chip" Hawkes; Kusik; Snyder
Performer(s): The Tremeloes; James Last



She was just a dream
I can't explain just the way I feel
Strange as if they seemed
But in my mind she was very real

Once on a Sunday morning
Before the sunlight was in the air
Once on a Sunday morning
Before my eyes she was standing there

Reaching for my hand
She smiled at me, we walked away
Tried to understand
But I could see through a sunny day

Once on a Sunday morning
Before the sunlight was in the air
Once on a Sunday morning
Before my eyes she was standing there

Lalalalala..

Saturday was done
I went to bed, but I couldn't sleep
Sunday came along
The memory I will always keep

Once on a Sunday morning
Before the sunlight was in the air
Once on a Sunday morning
Before my eyes she was standing there

Lalalalala..

Dididididi..

On a Sunday morning
On a Sunday morning
On a Sunday morning
On a Sunday morning
On a Sunday morning
On a Sunday morning

10 Degrees And Getting Colder
Composer(s): Gordon Lightfoot
First release by: Gordon Lightfoot - 1971
Covered by multiple other artists



He was standin' by the highway
with a sign that just said Mother
When he heard a driver comin' 
'Bout a half a mile away 
Then he held the sign up higher
Where no decent soul could miss it 
It was ten degrees or colder 
Down by bolder dam that day

He was raised up in Milwaukee
Though he never was that famous
He was just a road musician
To the taverns he would go
Singin' songs about the ramblin'
The lovin' girls and gamblin'
How the world fell on his shoulders
Back in Boulder I don't know

It was out in Arizona
That he heard the lady listenin'
To each word that he was sayin'
To each line that he would write
So he sat down by her table and
They talked about the weather
Ninety-eight point six and risin'
Down by Boulder dam that day

And she told him she would take him
For a ride in the mornin' sun
Back in Boulder he had told her
I don't know when I had a better friend

Now he's traded off his Martin
But his troubles are not over
For his feet are almost frozen
And the sun is sinkin' low
Won't you listen to me brother
If you ever loved your mother
Please pull off on the shoulder
If you're goin' Milwaukee way
It's ten degrees and getting colder
Down by Boulder dam today

Le Venin
Composer(s): Bernard Lavilliers
Performer(s): Bernard Lavilliers



Une mélodie mélancolique viendeto du ghetto
L'après-midi plombé à mort lui donne ce tempo
Sous un ciel d'encre, des enfants jouent à lancer leurs couteaux
Au-dessus des caisses où des vieux sages planquent leurs dominos
Cette mélodie mélancolique qui vient de la Havane
Contient des ondes maléfiques aux allures de Gitane
M'a dit un vieux conteur d'histoires, buveur de rhum hors-pair
Connu à Kingston un beau soir, en lui payant des verres
Il y a longtemps, un marin fou, amant d'une Gipsy
Elle voulait tout lui donner, tout, mais lui n'a rien compris
J'ai un peu oublié la suite, qui parle de vengeance
Du danger des vraies amoureuses, de poison et de rance
Cette mélodie mélancolique qui vient de la Havane
Contient des ondes maléfiques aux allures de Gitane
Amour couvert ou très obscur, provoquant le destin
Cette mélodie porte-malheur, et s'appelle le venin
viendeto
viendeto
viendeto du ghetto
Une mélodie mélancolique viendeto du ghetto
La pluie qui envahit la rue lui donne ce tempo
Une chanson bizarre et maléfique qui fait fuir les marins
Moi je la chante pour le risque, on verra bien demain...
viendeto
viendeto
viendeto du ghetto

Meisjes Van 13
Performer(s): Paul van Vliet



Hebben van die wapperende voeten 
Lopen altijd overal tegenop 
Weten helemaal niet wat ze moeten 
Kauwen dus de hele dag maar drop 
Moeten oude jurken van hun grote zusjes aan 
Die hun moeders hen nu juist zo enig vinden staan 
Houden niet van zomerkampen moeten daar toch heen 
En zijn daar met z'n honderden verschrikkelijk alleen 

Meisjes van dertien, niet zo gelukkig 
Meisjes van dertien, en net tussenin 
Te groot voor de poppen, te groot voor de merels 
Te klein voor de liefde, te klein voor de kerels 
Met een glimmende neus 
En met knokige knietjes 
En in hun dagboek 
Staan de kleine verdrietjes 
Meisjes van dertien, vlak voor 't begin 
Meisjes van dertien, er net tussenin 

Hebben van die dromerige koppies 
Hebben van dat dunne steile haar 
Willen niet meer samen met de jongens 
Willen nou alleen nog met elkaar 
Giechelen bij de naam van 't onbereikbare idool 
Giechelen om hun vader en de leraren op school 
Giechelen van ongemak en giechelen van spijt 
Giechelen zich een weggetje naar een betere tijd 

Meisjes van dertien, niet zo gelukkig 
Meisjes van dertien, en net tussenin 
Te groot voor de poppen, te groot voor de merels 
Te klein voor de liefde, te klein voor de kerels 
Nog nergens een vrouw, ja van boven voorzichtig 
Maar verder nog nergens, nog te dun en te spichtig 
Meisjes van derien, droom er maar van 
Meisjes van dertien, giechel maar an

Once More
Composer(s): Dusty Owens
Performer(s): Roy Acuff;
and various other artists



Once more to be with you dear
Just for tonight to hold you tight
Once more I'd give up a fortune
If I could see you once more

Forget the past, this hurt can't last
Oh I don't want it to keep us apart
Your love I'll crave, I'll be your slave
If you'll just give me all of your heart

Once more to be with you dear
Just for tonight to hold you tight
Once more I'd give a fortune
If I could see you once more
Once more

10 Light Years Away
Composer(s): M. Frederiksen; M. Jones; Klaus Meine; Rudolph Schenker
Performer(s): Scorpions



In a run down bed and breakfast
A room with a view, across the river
I tried to loos the claustrophobia
Opened up and find Utopia
There's no more denying
As my mind go flying
10 light years away to save my soul
10 light years away to change it all
Whatever it may take I gotta try again
Girl it's time to start over
10 light years away
I'd been watching the reflection
Of a bamboo in the shade, when I saw her
A very hot day in Havana
In a midnight blue lagoon
I knew she was hiding
10 light years away so take me home
10 light years away to change it all
Help me find today It's been way too long
Girl it's time to start over
10 light years away
There's no more denying
As my mind go flying
10 light years away to save my soul
10 light years away to change it all
Whatever it may take I gotta try again
Girl it's time to start over
10 light years away so take me home
10 light years away to change it all
Help me find today It's been way too long
Girl it's time to start over
10 light years away

A Baby Just Like You
Composer(s): John Denver - Joe Henry
Performer(s): John Denver
and multiple other artists




The season is upon us now
A time for gifts and giving
And as the year draws to its close
I think about my living
Christmas time when I was young
The magic and the wonder
But colors dull and candles dim
And dark my standing under

Oh, little angel, shining light
You've set my soul to dreaming
You've given back my joy in life
You filled me with new meaning

A savior King was born that day
A baby just like you
And as the Magi came with gifts
I come with my gift too
That peace on earth fills up your time
And brotherhood surrounds you
That you may know the warmth of love
And wrap it all around you

It's just a wish, a dream I'm told
From days when I was young
Merry Christmas little Zachary
Merry Christmas everyone
Merry Christmas little Zachary
Merry Christmas everyone

Meisjes Van 30
Performer(s): Paul van Vliet



Hebben van die rusteloze voeten 
Lopen daardoor overal tegenop 
En 't is ook wel verwarrend wat ze moeten 
Een baan, een man, een kind en hogerop 
Rennen van hun werk, via de creche naar 't cafe 
En moet 't kind dan eerst naar bed, of nemen we 't mee 
En als je nog geen kind hebt: kan dat wachten of moet dat nu 
En eten we weer sousjies, of toch aardappels met jus
 
Meisjes van dertig, niet ongelukkig 
Meisjes van dertig, er net tussenin 
Te oud voor 't zomaar wat vlind'rende leven 
Te jong om een toekomst uit handen te geven 
Ze hebben succes en een heleboel plannen 
Maar krijgen daardoor vaak problemen met mannen 
Meisjes van dertig, vlak na 't begin 
Meisjes van dertig, d'r weer tussenin 

Hebben iets van heimwee in hun ogen 
Hebben van dat doorgewaaide haar 
Willen best wat delen met de jongens 
Maar willen ook nog heel graag met elkaar 
Giechelen, net als vroeger, bij een drankje en muziek 
Giechelend langs de rekken van een lekkere boetiek 
Giechelen om niet te huilen, om de wereld en de tijd 
Maar een giechelende meid is niet op morgen voorbereid 

Meisjes van dertig, niet ongelukkig 
Meisjes van dertig, er net tussenin 
Te oud voor: we zien wel, 't komt allemaal later 
Te jong nog voor wijn die vermengd is met water 
Voor altijd een vrouw; in gedachten soms even 
Dat meisje van dertien, dat wacht op 't leven 
Meisjes van dertig, maak d'r wat van 
Want 't leuke van dertig, dat alles nog kan

Once Is Never Enough
Composer(s): Ian Crichton; Jim Crichton;
Jim Gilmour; Steve Negus; Michael Sadler
Performer(s): Saga



You say I can't then I have to
Have all the things I don't need
I guess it's human nature
The animal in me
You can call it my obsession
You've got me under your spell
If there's something I am wanting
I'll just help myself
Thrill of the chase
When you get what you want
Will that be enough
Thrill of the chase
When you find you can't stop
Once is never enough
I like to touch the fire
Maybe some day I'll get burned
After all this chasing
Don't think I'll ever learn
So when you see me coming
You can run but you can't hide
"Cause when I know just what I'm after
I won't stop until I die
Thrill of the chase
When you get what you want
Will that be enough
Thrill of the chase
When you find you can't stop
Once is never enough
I don't know what I want to
Have all the things that I don't need
It must be human nature
Or it's the animal in me
Thrill of the chase
When you get what you want
Will that be enough
Thrill of the chase
When you find you can't stop
Once is never enough
Thrill of the chase
When you get what you want
Will that be enough
Thrill of the chase
When you find you can't stop
Once is never enough

10 Minutes Before The Worm
Composer(s): Michael Bruce; Glen Buxton; Alice Cooper; Dennis Dunaway; Neal Smith
Performer(s): Alice Cooper



Let me be
What a way for one too realise
Gotta waste a bore now, I see
How he is so happy feeling sad
Heavily Depressed
God I knew
Think I will enjoy the view
'oy the view
'oy the view
Everything is standing still
...ill
...ill

Lebnan
Composer(s): Hafez-Chamass - Gigliotti - Jeff Barnel
Performer(s): Dalida



Ba'd el-hared win-nar 
Min ba'd halli sar 
Ba'd el-hared win-nar 
Min ba'd halli sar 
'Ad es-safa Lebnan 
'Ad el-wafa Lebnan 
Shams wi amar Lebnan 
Lebnan 

Lebnan biha-l-kawn 
Fih es-siher wil-lawn 
Wi-l-hob wil-manal 
Mannou mitel Lebnan 

Shou sar mahma yisir 
Al lou kibir-e-kibir 
Basmit hana Lebnan 
Lebnan 

Bayrout ya Bayrout 
Ya kanz min ya ya'out 
Bayrout ya bayrout 
Biyoutik aàz biyout 
Lisabratik ishta na 
Libesmatik ishta'na 
Wi seherriya wi lyali 
'Ala bali ala bali 

Ba'd el-hared win-nar 
Min ba'd halli sar 
Ba'd el-hared win-nar 
Min ba'd halli sar 
'Ad es-safa Lebnan 
'Ad el-wafa Lebnan 
Shams wi amar Lebnan 
Lebnan 

Lebnan àndou id 
Ahlam wi mova 'id 
Lebnan àndou id 
Win-nass ida bi id 
Wi' youn sahrané 
Wi ahat wi ghenani 
Wi nismat wi alwan helyané 
'Ala bali ala bali 

Ba'd el-hared win-nar 
Min ba'd halli sar 
Ba'd el-hared win-nar 
Min ba'd halli sar 
'Ad es-safa Lebnan 
'Ad el-wafa Lebnan 
Shams wi amar Lebnan 
Lebnan 
'Ad es-safa Lebnan 
'Ad el-wafa Lebnan 
Shams wi amar Lebnan 
Lebnan 

Meio-Dia Meia-Lua (aka Na Ilha De Lia, No Barco De Rosa)
Composer(s): Chico Buarque; Edú Lobo
Performer(s): Edú Lobo



Quando adormecia na ilha de Lia
Meu Deus, eu só vivia a sonhar
Que passava ao largo no barco de Rosa
E queria aquela ilha abordar
Pra dormir com Lia que via que eu ia
Sonhar dentro do barco de Rosa
Rosa que se ria e dizia nem coisa com coisa

Era um armadilha de Lia com Rosa com Lia
Eu não podia escapar
Girava num barco num lago no centro da ilha
Num moinho do mar
Era estar com Rosa nos braços de Lia
Era Lia com balanço de Rosa
Era tão real
Era devaneio
Era meio a meio
Meio Rosa meio Lia, meio
Meio-dia mandando eu voltar com Lia
Meia-lua mandando eu partir com Rosa
Na ilha de Lia, de Lia, de Lia
No barco de Rosa, de Rosa, de Rosa

Once Is Enough
Composer(s): Sid Tepper; Roy C. Bennett
Performer(s): Elvis Presley; The Taildraggers



All you got is one life
Living once can be rough
But if you live every day all the way
Once is enough

You can own just one suit
Worn and torn at the cuff
But if you're livin' the life that you love
Once is enough

What's the good of reaching ninety
If you waste eighty-nine
You got one life so live it
If you don't it's a crime

Life's a playful puppy
You can grab by the scruff
And if you live every sec', what the heck
Once is enough

Never wait until tomorrow
What if it never comes
Life is a seven layer
Don't you settle for crumbs

Life's a playful puppy
You can grab by the scruff
And if you live every sec', what the heck
Once is enough
And if you live every sec', what the heck
Once is enough
And if you live every sec', what the heck
Once is enough

10 Seconds To Forever
Composer(s): Robert Calvert
Performer(s): Nik Turner



In the tenth second of forever
I thought of the sea and a white yacht drifting
In the ninth second of forever
I remembered a warm room where voices played
In the eighth second of forever
I thought of the life I would not lead
In the seventh second of forever
I thought of a leaf, a stone, a plastic fragment of a child's toy
In the sixth second of forever
I saw your mouth whispering something I could hear
In the fifth second of forever
I thought of the vermillion deserts of Mars, the jewelled forests of Venus
In the fourth second of forever
I could remember nothing that I did not love
In the third second of forever
I thought of rain against a window, I thought of the wind
In the second second of forever
I thought of a pair of broken shades lying on the tarmac
In the first and final second of forever
I thought of the long past that had led to now
And never...
Never...
Never...

A Candle In The Window
Composer(s): Walt Aldridge - Gary Baker - Susan Longacre
Performer(s): Alabama



There's a road that I remember
leading to a special place
Where the door was always open to a smiling face
There's a picture on the mantle of a boy that looks like me
It's always the same, there's a stocking with my name

And a candle in the window, a flame against the night
There's a candle in the window, it's like God's perfect light
It don't take a lot of money to know what riches are
Just a candle in the window

Maybe it's just wishful thinking I can hear the sleigh bells ring
Almost taste the pie she's baking, it's Christmas Eve

And there's a candle in the window, a flame against the night
The candle in the window, it's like God's perfect light
It don't take a lot of money to know what riches are
Just a candle in the window and Christmas in your heart

Wherever the years may take me no matter how far I go
There's going to be a candle burning, it's always nice to know
It don't take a lot of money to know what riches are
Just a candle in the window and Christmas in your heart

Meine Wahrheit    
French Title: Ma Vérité
Composer(s): R. Wagner; J.P. Sabar;
Pierre Delanoë; Claude Lemesle; R. Zuckowski
Performer(s): Nana Mouskouri



Endlose Nacht, strahlendes Licht
Stets hat die Wahrheit ein anderes Gesicht
Schnell wie der Wind, treibt sie dich fort
Tosende Stürme verkünden ihr Wort

Zart wie ein Hauch kommt sie zurück
Singt mit den Vögeln im Frühling ihr Lied
Doch dann und wann, mit Dir allein
Scheint meine Wahrheit die Liebe zu sein

Freude und Glück, Tränen und Leid
Stets trägt die Wahrheit ein anderes Kleid
Dem der sich sagt ich hab gelebt
Scheint sie vielleicht aus Erinn'rung gewebt

Dem der beschließt "Frag nicht was war"
Zeigt sie die Farben der Zukunft ganz klar
Doch dann und wann, mit Dir allein
Scheint meine Wahrheit die Liebe zu sein

Kind oder Greis, Frau oder Mann
Stets trägt die Wahrheit ein andrer voran
Laut oder still, kommt sie zu Dir
Wenn du bereit bist und offen dafür

Du kannst sie hör'n, Du kannst sie seh'n
Oder Dein Herz wird sie verstehn

Once In Love With Amy
Composer(s): Frank Loesser
Performer(s): Frank Sinatra;
and various other artists



Once in love with Amy
Always in love with Amy
Ever and ever fascinated by her
Sets your heart on fire to stay

Once you're kissed by Amy
Tear up your list it's Amy
Ply her with bonbons, poetry and flowers
Moon a million hours away

You might be quite the fickle hearted rover
So carefree and bold
Who loves a girl and later thinks it over
And just quits cold

But once in love with Amy
Always in love with Amy
Ever and ever sweetly you'll romance her
Trouble is the answer will be
That Amy would rather stay in love with me

You might be quite the fickle hearted rover
So carefree and bold
Who loves a girl and later thinks it over
And just quits cold

But once in love with Amy
Always in love with Amy
Ever and ever sweetly you'll romance her
Trouble is the answer will be
That Amy would rather stay in love with me

10,000 Men
Composer(s): Bob Dylan
Performer(s): Bob Dylan



Ten thousand men on a hill
Ten thousand men on a hill
Some of 'm goin' down, some of 'm gonna get killed

Ten thousand men dressed in oxford blue
Ten thousand men dressed in oxford blue
Drummin' in the morning, in the evening they'll be coming for you

Ten thousand men on the move
Ten thousand men on the move
None of them doing nothin' that your mama wouldn't disapprove

Ten thousand men digging for silver and gold
Ten thousand men digging for silver and gold
All clean shaven, all coming in from the cold

Hey! Who could your lover be?
Hey! Who could your lover be?
Let me eat off his head so you can really see!

Ten thousand women all dressed in white
Ten thousand women all dressed in white
Standin' at my window wishing me goodnight

Ten thousand men looking so lean and frail
Ten thousand men looking so lean and frail
Each one of 'em got seven wives, each one of 'em just out of jail

Ten thousand women all sweepin' my room
Ten thousand women all sweepin' my room
Spilling my buttermilk, sweeping it up will a broom

Ooh, baby, thank you for my tea!
Baby, thank you for my tea

A Carolina Christmas Carol
Composer(s): Charlie Daniels
Performer(s): Charlie Daniels



A Christmas Monologue
I might as well go ahead and tell you right up front: I believe in Santa Claus
Now, you can believe or not believe, but I'm here to tell you for a fact that there is a Santa Claus
and he does bring toys and stuff like that on Christmas Eve night
I know, I know
It sounds like I've had too much eggnog, don't it?
All I ask is that you wait till I get through telling my story before you make up your mind
When I was a kid, Christmas time had a magic to it that no other season of the year had
There was just something in the air, something that you couldn't put your finger on
but it was there, and it affected everybody
It seemed like everybody smiled and laughed more at that time of year
even the people who didn't hardly smile and laugh the rest of the year
"You reckon it's gonna snow?
I sure do wish it'd snow this year
Do you reckon it's gonna?"
Heck no, it won't gonna snow
As far as I know, it ain't never snowed in Wilmington, North Carolina
at Christmas time in the whole history of man
It seemed like everybody in the world had snow at Christmas except us
In the funny papers, Nancy and Sluggo and Little Orphaned Annie
had snow to frolic around in at Christmas time
The Christmas cards had snow
Bing Crosby even had snow to sing about
But not one flake fell on Wilmington, North Carolina
But that didn't dampen our spirits one little bit
Our family celebrated Christmas to the hilt
We were a big, close-knit family, and we'd gather up at Grandma's house every year
My grandparents lived on a farm in Bladen County, about fifty miles from Wilmington
and I just couldn't wait to get up there
They lived in a great big old farmhouse
and every Christmas they'd fill it up with their children and grandchildren
We'd always stay from the night of the twenty-third through the morning of the twenty-sixth
There'd be Uncle Clyde and Aunt Martha, Uncle Lacy and Aunt Selma; Uncle Leroy and Aunt Mollie
Uncle Stewart and Aunt Opal, and my mama and daddy, Ernest and Nadine
I won't even go into how many children were there, but take my word for it, there were a bunch
There'd be people sleeping all over that big old house
We kids would sleep on pallets on the floor
and we'd giggle and play till some of the grown-ups would come and make us be quiet
All the usual ground rules about eating were off for those days at Grandma's house
You could eat as much pie and cake and candy as you could hold, and your mama wouldn't say a word to you
My grandma would cook from sunup to sundown and love every minute of it
She'd have cakes, pies candy, fruit and nuts setting out all the time
and on top of that, she'd cook three big meals a day
I mean, we eat like pigs
Christmas was also the only time that my Granddaddy would take a drink
It was a Southern custom of the time not to drink in front of small children
so Granddaddy kept his drinking whiskey hid in the barn
When he'd want to go out there and get him a snort
he'd say that he had to go see if the mare had had her foal yet
It was a good, good time
A little old-fashioned by some peoples standards, but it suited us just fine
If I'm not mistaken, it was the year I was five years old
that my cousin Buford told me that there wasn't any Santa Claus
Buford was about nine at the time
He always was a mean-natured cuss
Still is
Well, I just refused to believe him
I said, "You're telling a great big fib, Buford Ray, 'cause Santa Claus comes to see me every Christmas
right here at Grandma and Granddaddy's house"
"That ain't Santa Claus. That's your mama and daddy." One thing led
to another and I got so upset about the prospect of no Santa Claus
that I went running into the house crying.
"Grandma, Grandma! Buford says there ain't no Santa Claus!
There is a Santa Claus, ain't they, Grandma?"
"Of course there is, Curtis
Buford was just joking with you"
Aunt Selma heard me talking to Grandma and walked to the door
"Buford Ray, get yourself in this house right this minute!"
When he came in, Aunt Selma grabbed him by the ear, led him into the
front room and swatted him.
Granddaddy was also a big defender of Santa Claus
He would talk about Santa Claus like he was a personal friend of his
And the more he went to check on the mare, the more he talked about Santa Claus
or "Sandy Claws" as he called him
"Yes, children, old Sandy Claws will be hitching up them reindeers
and heading on down this a-way before long
Wonder what he's gonna bring this year?"
He'd have us so excited by the time we went to bed
that I reckon if visions of sugarplums ever danced in anybody's heads, it was ours
Christmas Eve night, after we had eat about as much supper as we could hold, we'd go in the front room
There'd always be a big log fire crackling in the fireplace, and Granddaddy would always say the same thing
"Children, do y'all know why we have Christmas every year?"
"Cause that's when the Baby Jesus was born"
"That's right
We're celebrating the Lord's birthday
Do y'all know where He was born at?"
"In Bethlehem" we would all chime in
"That's right
He was born in a stable in Bethlehem almost two thousand years ago"
Then Granddaddy would put on his spectacles and read Saint Luke's version of the Christmas story
Then, after we'd had family prayer, Granddaddy would always get a twinkle in his eye
"I reckon I'd better step out to the barn and see if that old mare has had her baby yet"
There was always a chorus of "Can I go with you, Granddaddy?"
"Y'all had better stay in here by the fire
It's mighty cold outside
I'll be right back"
When Granddaddy came back in the house, he'd always say, "I was on my way back from the barn while ago
and I heard something that sounded like bells a-tinkling, way back off yonder in the woods
I just can't figure why bells would be ringing back in the woods this time of night"
"It's Santa Claus! It's Santa Claus!"
"Well, now, I never thought of that
I wonder if it was old Sandy Claws
You children better get to bed
You know he won't come to see you as long as you're awake"
Then it was time to say good night
All the grandchildren would go around hugging all the grown-ups
"Good night Grandma, good night Granddaddy, good night Uncle Clyde, good night Aunt Mollie" and so forth
We would always try to stay awake, lying on our pallets until Santa Claus got there
but we always lost the battle
It sounded like the Third World War at Grandma's house on Christmas morning
There was cap pistols going off and baby dolls crying
and all the children hollering at the top of their lungs
By the time the next school year started, I was six years old and in the first grade
I kept thinking about what Buford had said
I didn't want to believe it, but it kept slipping into the back door of my mind
At school, Buford was three grades ahead of me, but I'd still see him sometimes
Every time he'd see me that whole year, he'd make it a point to rub it in about Santa Claus
He'd do something like get me around a bunch of his older buddies and say
"Hey , you fellers, Curtis still believes in Santa Claus"
And they'd all laugh and point
Away from any adult persuasion, I guess Buford finally wore me out
I returned to Grandma's house the next year not believing that there was a Santa Claus
Christmas lost a little of its mystique
Oh, I still enjoyed it
I even pretended that I believed in "Sandy Claws" for Granddaddy's benefit, but it wasn't the same
Well, as you know, time marches on, children grow up and leave home, including me
I was living in Denver, Colorado, married, with a child
and I hadn't been home for Christmas since our little daughter had been born
Dawn was three that year, and this would be the first time that she really knew about Santa Claus
and she was some kind of excited
We had the best time shopping for her, buying all the little toys that she wanted
Daddy called me about three weeks before Christmas and said
"Son, you know that your grandparents are getting old
They've requested that all the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren come home the way we used to
Can you make it, son?"
"We'll be there, Daddy"
I couldn't think of a better place in the whole world for little Dawn to spend her first real Christmas
so we packed up and headed for North Carolina
Grandma was eighty-two years old, but she still cooked all day long
and she still enjoyed every minute of it
Granddaddy was eighty-four, but he still had a twinkle in his eye and a mare in the barn
The old house was fuller than ever, with a whole new generation of children in it
Even Buford
He had married, but he didn't have any children
He didn't want any
One of my cousins said he figured Buford was too stingy to have children
Buford was still the same, except that he had changed from a boy with a mean nature
to a full-grown man with a cynical nature and a know-it-all attitude
Just before we went into the front room for family prayer and the reading of the Christmas story
I overheard him say to somebody "I don't know why Granddaddy keeps filling the children's heads full of that Santa Claus nonsense
I think it's ridiculous
If I had children, I wouldn't let him tell them all that junk"
I looked hard at Buford
I had never liked him, and I liked him even less now
Our little daughter was so excited when Granddaddy started talking about "Sandy Claws"
that she jumped up and down and clapped her hands
When I took her up to bed, there was pure excitement in those big brown eyes
"Santa Claus is coming, Daddy! Santa Claus is coming, Daddy!"
I got a warm feeling all over, and I sure was glad to be back at Grandma's house at Christmas time
After all the children had gone to sleep, the grown-ups started going out to their cars
to get the toys they had brought for Santa Claus to leave under the Christmas tree
I decided to wait until everybody else had finished before I put Dawn's presents out
This was a special time for me and I wanted to enjoy it
After everybody had gone up to bed, I went to the car to get Dawn's toys
To my shock, I couldn't find them
I ran back into the house to my wife
"Sylvia, where did you pack Dawn's Christmas presents?"
"I thought you packed them"
I was close to panic, but I didn't want Sylvia to know it
I said, "Oh well, you just go on to bed, honey, and I'll look again
I probably just overlooked them"
I kissed my wife goodnight and went back downstairs
I knew I hadn't overlooked them
We had somehow forgot to pack them, and they were two thousand miles away in Denver, Colorado
I was a miserable man
I just didn't feel like I could face little Dawn the next morning
She'd be so disappointed
All the other children would have the toys that Santa had brought them
and my beloved little daughter wouldn't have anything
How could I have been so dumb?
Here it was, twelve o'clock Christmas Eve night, all the stores closed, everybody in bed
and me without a single present for little Dawn
I was heartbroken
I went into the front room and sat by the dying fire, dejected and hopeless
I don't know how long I sat there staring at the embers
but sometime later on I heard a rustle behind me and somebody said, "You got a match, son?"
I turned around and almost fell on the floor
Standing not ten feet from me was a short, fat little man in a red suit
with a long white beard and a pipe sticking out of his mouth
I couldn't move, I couldn't speak
He looked at me and chuckled
"Have you got a match, son?
I ran out and I want to get this pipe going"
When I finally got my voice back, all I could say was "Who are you?"
"Well, people call me by different names in different parts of the world, but around here they call me Santa Claus"
"No, I mean who are you really?"
I just told you, son
How about that match?"
I stumbled to the mantelpiece, got a kitchen match and gave it to him
"Much obliged"
He stood there lighting his pipe, with me looking at him like he was a ghost or something
"How did you get in here?"
"Oh, I've got my ways"
"I thought you were supposed to slide down the chimney"
"That's a common misconception
Would you slide down a chimney with a fire at the bottom?"
"Well, no
I mean, no, sir"
"Well, neither would I"
"How did you get here?"
"I've got a sturdy sleigh and the finest team of reindeer a man could have"
"But we ain't got snow"
Santa Claus laughed so hard that his considerable belly shook
"I don't need snow
Half the places I go in the world don't have snow
Besides, I like to get out of the snow once in a while
We have it year-round at the North Pole, you know"
"You mean you really live at the North Pole?"
"Of course, I've always lived at the North Pole
Don't you know anything about Santa Claus, son?"
"Well, yeah, but I thought it was all a big put-on for the children"
"That's the trouble with you grown-ups
You think that everything you can't see is a put-on
It's a shame grown people can't be more like children
They don't have any trouble believing in me"
"You mean you've really got a sleigh, with reindeer named Donner and Blitzen and stuff like that?"
"That's right, son
There's Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen and Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen
Of course, there's no Rudolph with the red nose
I don't know who came up with that one
Rudolph really is a put-on"
"But what are you doing here? Why did you come?"
"Because there's a little girl in this house who believes in me very much
Now, she'd be mighty disappointed to wake up Christmas morning and have nothing under the tree"
"You mean you a came all the way here just because one little girl believes in you?"
"That's right, son
There's magic in believing
Besides, she's not the only one in this house who believes in me"
"Who else?"
"Why, your grandfather, of course"
"You mean Granddaddy wasn't putting us on all those years?
He really believed in you?"
"Of course he believed in me"
"Well, why do you do this?"
"It's my way of celebrating the most important birthday in the history of man
Our Lord has given us so much
How can we do less?"
Santa Claus consulted a piece of paper he pulled out of his pocket
and started taking a doll and other toys out of a big bag he had brought with him
"Well, I've got to go, son
I've got a lot of stops to make before sunup
It's been really nice talking to you
Thanks for the match"
"Can I help you with your bag, Santa Claus?"
"No, that's all right, son
I'm used to carrying it"
I walked outside with him
"Where's your sleigh, Santa Claus?"
"It's parked right over there in the edge of the woods
You can come over and see it if you like"
I started walking over to his sleigh with him, but then I had a thought
"I'm gonna have to miss seeing your sleigh and reindeer
Thank you so very much
You saved my life
God bless you, Santa Claus
I'll see you next year"
"God bless you, too, son and a Merry Christmas to you and yours"
Santa Claus started across the yard toward his sleigh, and I went running back in the house like a wild man
I raced up the stairs
"Buford, Buford, get up!"
"What's the matter, is the house on fire?"
"No, but hurry
Come out on the upstairs porch"
Buford grumbled as he got up and followed me out on the upstairs porch
"What the heck do you want?
It's cold out here"
"Just hush up and listen"
Well, we listened by a full minute and nothing happened
"You're crazy
I'm going back to bed"
"Buford, if you go back in the house, you're gonna miss something that I want you, above all people, to see"
We waited for a little while longer and I had almost given up when I heard it
It was just a little tinkle at first, hanging on the frosty air and getting louder by the second
It was sleigh bells!
Buford looked at me and said "Curtis, is this some kind of joke or something?"
"No, Buford, I swear it ain't
Just wait a minute now!"
The sound of sleigh bells was getting louder and Buford's face was getting whiter
"You got somebody out there doing that, ain't you?
Admit it!
You got somebody out there, ain't you?"
I didn't say a word
All of a sudden it sounded like somebody had flushed a covey of quail
That sleigh came up out of the woods and headed west, hovering just above the treetops
Buford was speechless
I thought he was gonna pass out
He held on to the banister and took deep breaths
Even if you believe so far, I know you ain't gonna believe this next part, but it really happened
Santa Claus made a big circle and turned and flew right around the house
I bet he won't over twenty feet from the upstairs porch when he passed by me and Buford
Old Santa Claus could really handle them reindeer
Then he headed west again, moving at a pretty good clip this time
I hate to even tell you this next part, 'cause you'll think I took it right out of the book, but I didn't
Anyway, just about the time he was getting out of our hearing, he hollered, "Merry Christmas, everybody!"
And then he was gone
"Curtis, do you know where Granddaddy keeps that bottle hid in the barn?
I need me a drink"
I don't believe that Buford ever told anybody about seeing Santa Claus
I know I didn't, not until now
But I just had to tell somebody about it
It's been hard keeping it to myself all these years
I'm a granddaddy myself now
That little girl that caused all this to happen with her faith in Santa Claus
is grown and married and has a three-year-old girl and a five-year-old boy
Me and Sylvia moved back to North Carolina many years ago and bought a big old farmhouse
Now my grandchildren come and spend Christmas with me and their grandmother
There's not as many of us as there was at Grandma's house
but we have just as big a time and celebrate Christmas just as hard
In fact, Christmas is about the only time a year I'll take a drink
I always get me a pint of Old Granddad at Christmas time
Since the grandchildren are so small, I don't like to drink in front of them,
so I keep my drinking whiskey hid out in the barn
When I want to go out there and get me a snort
I always tell the grandchildren that I've got to see if the cows got corn
Of course, all the grown-ups know why I'm going out to the barn, or at least they think they do
I always make my last trip to the barn after I've read the Christmas story and had family prayer
Everybody thinks I'm going out to get me a snort, but they're wrong
I'm just going out to hear the sleigh bells ring

Mein Schönster Tag
Composer(s): W. Jenkins; H. Evans; H.U. Weigel
Performer(s): Agnetha Fältskog



Ich seh' hinaus
Auf die schlafenden Strassen
Die Lichter gehen aus
Vorbei ist die Nacht
Ich denk' an Dich
Und mein Herz schlägt schneller
Schon wird es Morgen
Die Sonne erwacht

Der schönste Tag
In meinem Leben
Der fängt für mich
So wunderbar an
Meiner schönster Tag
Ist wie ein Märchen
Und du bist hier
Für immer bei mir

Heut' will ich dir
Für immer gehören
Seit vielen Stunden
Denk' ich nur daran
Von diesem Tag
Träumt jedes Mädchen
Mein schönster Tag
Ist Wirklichkeit

Oh, so viele Menschen
Wünschen uns beiden
Liebe und Glück
Für alle Zeit
Der schönste Tag
In meinem Leben...