Carol of the Drum

Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum 
A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum 
Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum 
To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum, 
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

So to honor Him, pa rum pum pum pum, 
When we come. 

Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum 
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum 
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum 
That’s fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum, 
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum, 

Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum, 
On my drum? 

Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum 
The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum 
I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum 
I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum, 
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum, 

Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum 
Me and my drum.

If you are a bass or tenor in this song, all you get to do is ‘pum, prum, pum, puppa pum, puddley pum puddley pum’ making vocal percussion sounds like a drum.

Some guys say they think it is boring.  I think it is fun. Its one of my few chances for real vocal percussion (though I begin to realize there are a lot more places where there is pseudo percussion than I’d previously realized).

This is the first carol in my list that really concentrates on the Christmas Story.  Okay, it does it through a fictitious character, but it does it to concentrate on the actual story. I think the fictitious character is meant to be each of us, looking in, becoming one with the story, from a distance of both time and place.