Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – English Lyrics

• By: Norah Jones, Laufey
• Album: Christmas With You

Lyrics & Translation

This delicate jazz-pop duet by Norah Jones and Laufey offers an intimate, masterclass example of vocal jazz phrasing and dynamics. Learners can study how the singers blend their unique voices and how the sparse piano and cello accompaniment provides a rich, cozy background, making it an excellent song for understanding classic Christmas vocabulary and the bittersweet, hopeful language of a timeless standard.

[English]

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Let your heart be light

Next year all our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas

Make the Yuletide gay

Next year all our troubles will be miles away

Here we are, as in olden days

Happy golden days of yore

Faithful friends who are dear to us

Gather near to us once more

Some day soon we all will be together

If the fates allow

Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow

So have yourself a merry little Christmas now

...

Here we are, as in olden days

Happy golden days of yore

Faithful friends who are dear to us

Gather near to us once more, mm

Someday soon we all will be together

If the fates allow

Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow

So have yourself a merry little Christmas now

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
merry /ˈmɛri/ B1	adjective - cheerful and lively
little /ˈlɪtəl/ A1	adjective - small in size or amount
Christmas /ˈkrɪsməs/ A2	noun - the Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus
heart /hɑːrt/ A1	noun - the organ that pumps blood; also the centre of emotions
light /laɪt/ A1	adjective - not heavy; bright
troubles /ˈtrʌbəlz/ B1	noun - problems or difficulties
sight /saɪt/ A2	noun - the ability to see; a view
Yuletide /ˈjuːltaɪd/ C1	noun - the Christmas season
gay /ɡeɪ/ C1	adjective - cheerful, bright; (modern) homosexual
olden /ˈoʊldən/ C1	adjective - former; of past times
days /deɪz/ A1	noun - periods of 24 hours; time
golden /ˈɡoʊldən/ B2	adjective - made of gold; excellent, prosperous
yore /jɔːr/ C2	noun - time long past; former days
faithful /ˈfeɪθfʊl/ B2	adjective - loyal, true to a person, cause, or belief
friends /frɛndz/ A1	noun - people with whom one has a bond of mutual affection
dear /dɪər/ B1	adjective - beloved; cherished
gather /ˈɡæðər/ B1	verb - to bring together; to collect
fates /feɪts/ B2	noun - the development of events beyond a person's control, destiny

Key Grammar Structures

• Have yourself a merry little Christmas

  ➔ Reflexive Pronoun

  ➔ The word 'yourself' is a reflexive pronoun, referring back to the subject of the sentence. It emphasizes the action is directed at the subject.

• Next year all our troubles will be out of sight

  ➔ Future Simple

  ➔ The phrase 'will be' is in the future simple tense, indicating an action that will occur in the future.

• Make the Yuletide gay

  ➔ Imperative Mood

  ➔ 'Make' is in the imperative mood, used to give a command or instruction.

• Here we are, as in olden days

  ➔ Present Simple with Adverbial Clause

  ➔ 'Here we are' is in the present simple, and 'as in olden days' is an adverbial clause providing a comparison.

• If the fates allow

  ➔ Condition Clause (Type 1)

  ➔ 'If the fates allow' is a type 1 condition clause, expressing a possible situation in the future.

• Until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow

  ➔ Future with 'will' and Conjunction

  ➔ 'We'll have to' uses 'will' to indicate future action, and 'until then' is a conjunction showing time.