The All-Purpose Carol

The All-Purpose Carol
by John Forster. Additional Lyrics by Tom Chapin.
© 2003 Limousine Music Co. & The Last Music Co. (ASCAP)

I’m part Christian and part Jewish
And of African descent.
And when it comes to holidays,
That is truly excellent.
’Cause on the first day of Chanukah
My parents sing to me this new all-purpose carol
That’s for trimming my special kind of tree.
Merry Christmas. Happy Chanukah.
Kwanzaa time is here.
It’s that falala deidl dum jambo jambo time of year.
Gloria, Baruch atah, in Excelsis Deo, day-o.
Daylight come, the drummer boy drum.
The angels fly away-oh.

There are no Christmas Chanukah Kwanzaa
Rituals per se-oh.
So we take our favorite parts of each
And mix them our own way-oh.
We light the menorah, we light the Kinara,
We light the Christmas Tree,
We’re making knishes and cornbready dishes
And the turkey is cooked to a “T.”
We’re dancing the hora,
We’re playing the kora and carolling offkey,
Then all three ships come sailing in
With presents for you and me.
Oh, Merry Christmas. Happy Chanukah.
Kwanzaa time is here.
It’s that falala deidl dum jambo jambo time of year.
Gloria, Baruch atah, in Excelsis Deo, day-o.
Daylight come, pa rum pa pum pum.
The angels fly away-oh.
Merry Christmas. Happy Chanukah.
Kwanzaa time is here.
It’s that falala deidl dum jambo jambo time of year.
Gloria, Baruch atah, in Excelsis Deo, day-o.
The talking drum. The angels fly away,
Boya boya boya biddy biddy bum, Amen.

This song appears on Tom Chapin's Making Good Noise CD.

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