Blue Christmas – English Lyrics

• By: Elvis Presley, Martina McBride

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the enduring classic "Blue Christmas" by Elvis Presley and Martina McBride, a song that beautifully conveys the universal feeling of longing during the holidays. By exploring its simple yet profound lyrics, you can learn common vocabulary related to emotions, holidays, and relationships. The song's expressive delivery and relatable theme make it a special piece for understanding English in a real and emotional context, offering insights into cultural expressions of both joy and sadness during festive times.

[English]

- It being the time of year that it is,

I'd like to do my favorite Christmas song

of all the ones I've recorded.

(audience cheers)

(slow country music)

♪ I'll have a blue ♪

♪ Christmas ♪

♪ Without you ♪

♪ I'll be so blue ♪

♪ Just thinkin' ♪

♪ About you ♪

♪ Decorations ♪

♪ Of red ♪

♪ On a green ♪

♪ Christmas tree ♪

♪ Won't be the same, dear ♪

♪ If you're not here with me ♪ (audience applauds and cheers)

♪ And when those blue ♪

♪ Snowflakes ♪

♪ Start fallin' ♪

♪ That's when those blue ♪

♪ Memories ♪

♪ Start callin' ♪

♪ You'll be doin' all right ♪

♪ With your Christmas ♪

♪ Of white ♪

♪ But I have a blue ♪

♪ Blue, blue, blue Christmas ♪

♪ I'll have a blue ♪

♪ Christmas ♪

♪ Without you ♪

♪ I'll be so blue ♪

♪ Just thinkin' ♪

♪ About you ♪

♪ You'll be doin' all right ♪

♪ With your Christmas ♪

♪ Of white ♪

♪ But I'll have a blue ♪ ♪ But I'll have a blue ♪

♪ Blue, blue, blue Christmas ♪ ♪ Blue, blue, blue Christmas ♪

- Oh, baby.

- [Musician] Oh, tell it like it is.

♪ But I'll have a blue ♪ ♪ But I'll have a blue ♪

♪ Blue, blue, blue Christmas ♪ ♪ Blue, blue, blue Christmas ♪

(audience applauds)

- [Musician] Yeah, thank you.

(tambourine tapping)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
blue /bluː/ A1	adjective - of a color intermediate between green and violet; of or relating to the sky on a cloudless day. noun - the color blue.
Christmas /ˈkrɪs.məs/ A1	noun - the annual Christian festival celebrating Christ's birth, held on December 25.
tree /triː/ A1	noun - a woody perennial plant, typically having a single stem or trunk growing to a considerable height and bearing lateral branches at some distance from the ground.
green /ɡriːn/ A1	adjective - of the color between blue and yellow in the spectrum; colored like grass or leaves. noun - the color green.
red /red/ A1	adjective - of a color like that of blood or a ruby. noun - the color red.
think /θɪŋk/ A1	verb - have a particular belief or idea.
snowflake /ˈsnoʊ.fleɪk/ B1	noun - a flake of snow, typically a flat crystal with six points.
memories /ˈmem.ər.iz/ B1	noun - something remembered from the past; a recollection.
decorations /ˌdek.əˈreɪ.ʃənz/ B1	noun - things used to make something look more attractive.
white /waɪt/ A1	adjective - of the color of milk or fresh snow, due to the reflection of all visible rays of light; the opposite of black. noun - the color white.
fall /fɔːl/ A2	verb - to drop or come down from a higher place.
call /kɔːl/ A1	verb - to give someone or something a name.
dear /dɪər/ A2	adjective - regarded with deep affection; cherished.

Key Grammar Structures

• It being the time of year that it is...

  ➔ Absolute construction (with 'being')

  ➔ The use of "being" in this absolute construction introduces a state or condition. It provides background information to the main clause that follows. Highly formal and often used in written context.

• I'd like to do my favorite Christmas song...

  ➔ Conditional form of "would" ('d) expressing polite request

  ➔ "I'd like" is a contraction of "I would like," used to politely introduce what the speaker wants to do.

• Without you

  ➔ Prepositional phrase

  ➔ "Without you" functions as an adverbial phrase, modifying the verb by expressing the condition of absence.

• Just thinkin' about you

  ➔ Gerund phrase

  ➔ "Thinkin'" (thinking) is a gerund, and the entire phrase functions as an adverbial modifier, explaining the reason for being blue.

• Won't be the same, dear

  ➔ Future simple negative contraction ('won't')

  ➔ "Won't" is a contraction of "will not", expressing a future negation. The adjective "same" serves as a subject complement after the verb "be".

• Start fallin'

  ➔ Bare infinitive after a causative verb

  ➔ Here, "start" functions as a causative verb, and "fallin'" (falling) is the bare infinitive. Causative verbs are followed by an object and the base form of the verb.

• You'll be doin' all right

  ➔ Future Continuous tense

  ➔ "You'll be doin'" is a contraction of "you will be doing", and is the future continuous tense, used to describe an action that will be in progress at a specific time in the future.

• But I'll have a blue Christmas

  ➔ Future Simple tense with contrastive conjunction

  ➔ "But" introduces a contrast to the previous statement. "I'll have" is a future simple tense construction, expressing a future state.