Santa Claus & The Belsnickel
The night before Christmasis very near
but creatures are stirring,even the mice.
All quiver in fear, causeBelsnickel soon will be here
What? - What happened to Santa Claus? What happened to sugar-plumb fairies,sweets and spice?
And who's this Belsnickelfellow?
He's neither jolly nor mellow
Belsnickel gets children who are naughty, not nice
His glaring stare is colderthan arctic ice
He comes before Christmasand carries a switch
This Belsnickel fellow sounds more like a Halloween witch
Does this script havesome kind of glitch?
No carrot at Christmas, only the stick?
Must Christmas come with some kind of hitch?
None of this Belsnickel stuff say the kids today
Just give us our giftscause we want to play
Winter's no time to beout making hay!
In trampy brown knickers,a coat and a cap
Belsnickel comes to each house following his map.
His gray beard flowing over his tattered old scarf
He carries a switchto help with his part
To get your attentionhe'll jingle his bell and scratch at your door
To lower your guard he'llscatter peanuts, oranges and treats on your floor
When you pick up your treat
He'll switch at your feet
Before Christmas sunhe'll come just one more time if you're good
To leave nice gifts under your tree as you hoped he would
That's the Belsnickel;he's nasty but nice
Du besser bischt gudt,der Belsnickel kumpt!
Well kids have no fear
Belsnickel hasn't been seen very near for many a year.
These days it's usually Santa who comes around here
Michael Vianello C 1991 - Revised 1993, 2003
