Verse 1 Every year somebody writes one, Says, “This one’s gonna last,” But Christmas isn’t looking forward, Christmas loves the past. Give me bells and give me mistletoe, Give me voices warm and strong, Pour the cocoa, light the fireplace, And play an old Christmas song. Chorus Play me an old Christmas song, The kind we all know by heart, The kind where three little notes come on And suddenly Christmas starts. Give me Doris Day and Sinatra, Burl Ives singing along, Put a little Dean Martin on— And play me an old Christmas song. Verse 2 I don’t need a brand-new Christmas With a beat nobody knows, I want sleigh bells in the background, I want chestnuts, I want snow. I want strings around a crooner, And a choir coming in, I want something Grandma played for us To make me eight again. Chorus Play me an old Christmas song, The kind we all know by heart, The kind where three little notes come on And suddenly Christmas starts. Give me Doris Day and Sinatra, Burl Ives singing along, Put a little Dean Martin on— And play me an old Christmas song. Bridge Those records may be scratchy, And some are older than me, But somehow they still put more Christmas Underneath that tree. You can keep reinventing December, But here’s where I belong— Give me a voice from yesterday Singing an old Christmas song. Verse 3 Because Christmas is remembering, That’s half of what it’s for, It’s hearing something from your childhood Come drifting through the door. It’s somebody who’s gone now Coming back for three minutes long, Because memories have a melody— And sometimes it’s a Christmas song. Final Chorus So play me an old Christmas song, Turn that old record on, Let Doris sing, let Frank swing, Let Dean keep pouring it strong. Let Burl bring back December Like he’s done my whole life long— If you want it to feel like Christmas, Play me an old Christmas song. Tag You can write a brand-new Christmas tune… (spoken) Hell, everybody tries. But if you want Christmas to come alive… Play me the old ones tonight.
