# Christmas carol lyrics we questioned as kids **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [December 19, 2020, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-carol-lyrics-we-questioned-as-kids/928396 "2020-12-19T13:33:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2020, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-carol-lyrics-we-questioned-as-kids/928396/61 "2020-12-23T21:28:29Z")
“[Presents on the tree](https://youtu.be/dL71eMc1blw)”? Aren’t the presents supposed to be _under_ thre tree? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2020, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-carol-lyrics-we-questioned-as-kids/928396/62 "2020-12-23T22:22:44Z")
That’s one I still question. Especially since the meter calls for two syllables there, anyway, so you’re forced to sing “Presents ooo-oon the tree”. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-carol-lyrics-we-questioned-as-kids/928396/63 "2020-12-24T01:12:26Z")
“He’ll say: Are you married? We’ll say: No man But you can do the job When you’re in town” I didn’t know what a Parson was, so I just assumed it was a man’s name. And thus I had no idea what job they were saying he could do when he was in town, other than it had something to do with them not being married. So I took it to mean something like “You can pretend to be my husband when you’re in town, and do the sorts of jobs husbands do.” ---
**Author:** ![TiberiusNeroClaudius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f04885/32.png) [@TiberiusNeroClaudius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TiberiusNeroClaudius)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-carol-lyrics-we-questioned-as-kids/928396/64 "2020-12-24T01:28:19Z")
In French class we had to learn a Christmas (Noel) song which ended in “et bonne annee grand mere”…and happy new year Grandmother. Grandma did not appear previously in le chanson so we wondered where she came from. Then the was the song. “Sur le pont d’Avignon, on y danse on y danse” where teacher explained was about dancing on a famous bridge in the city of Avignon. The bridge is only half standing so…these people go dancing on a bridge that is half ruined…do they fall into the river? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-carol-lyrics-we-questioned-as-kids/928396/65 "2020-12-24T08:53:43Z")
> [@TiberiusNeroClaudius](#): > > Then the was the song. “Sur le pont d’Avignon, on y danse on y danse” where teacher explained was about dancing on a famous bridge in the city of Avignon. The bridge is only half standing so…these people go dancing on a bridge that is half ruined…do they fall into the river? I’ve been on that bridge, and yes, there were actually people dancing on it (and not falling off). There’s a gift shop there, mostly about the song, very little about the bridge itself. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-carol-lyrics-we-questioned-as-kids/928396/66 "2020-12-24T15:24:02Z")
> [@TiberiusNeroClaudius](#): > > “et bonne annee grand mere”… Isn’t that just the last line of “Jingle Bells” in French? What does Granny have to do with Christmas? ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-carol-lyrics-we-questioned-as-kids/928396/67 "2020-12-24T17:54:55Z")
At least the song says the paws go ‘click, click, click’. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-carol-lyrics-we-questioned-as-kids/928396/68 "2020-12-24T18:27:22Z")
“When the snowman brings the snow…” Did Wizzard think there’s a mythical character called “The Snowman” who’s known for “bringing snow”? (Does he sprinkle it on children’s eyes?) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-carol-lyrics-we-questioned-as-kids/928396/69 "2020-12-24T19:38:34Z")
> [@TiberiusNeroClaudius](#): > > Then the was the song. “Sur le pont d’Avignon, on y danse on y danse” where teacher explained was about dancing on a famous bridge in the city of Avignon. The bridge is only half standing so…these people go dancing on a bridge that is half ruined…do they fall into the river? This could be a reference to the famous Avignon Ergot incident. > **[How Deadly Bread Bewitched a French Village](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/how-deadly-bread-bewitched-a-french-village-123126177/)** There have been instances of ergot poisoning driving people mad since ancient times, and it was always blamed on the supernatural. It may have been the origin for the Death-of-the-Firstborn plague in Egypt. In _ **Poldark** _, ergot was the drug Elizabeth took to induce labor when George suspected she’d been with Ross. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2020, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-carol-lyrics-we-questioned-as-kids/928396/70 "2020-12-24T22:49:33Z")
> [@TiberiusNeroClaudius](#): > > Then the was the song. “Sur le pont d’Avignon, on y danse on y danse” where teacher explained was about dancing on a famous bridge in the city of Avignon. The bridge is only half standing so…these people go dancing on a bridge that is half ruined…do they fall into the river? Funny thing about that song, people didn’t dance on the bridge, they danced under it. > **[Sous le Pont d'Avignon – Historical articles and illustrations](https://www.lookandlearn.com/blog/8728/sous-le-pont-davignon/)** > > This edited article about the Bridge of Avignon originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 948 published on 22 March 1980. The broken bridge at Avignon If you want to go dancing on the Bridge of Avignon, you still can. It will cost you 50p... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christmas-carol-lyrics-we-questioned-as-kids/928396.md?page=3)