Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas – English Lyrics

• By: Judy Garland

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the story behind Judy Garland's rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” a classic that teaches us about resilience and finding joy amidst sorrow. Explore how the song's creation was influenced by the emotional context of World War II and Garland's own artistic choices, making it a poignant and enduring holiday favorite.

[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

Once again as in olden days

Happy golden days of yore

Faithful friends who were near to us

Will be dear to us once more

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
troubles /ˈtrʌb.əlz/ B1	noun - problems or difficulties
muddle /ˈmʌd.əl/ C1	verb - to proceed or work with difficulty
merry /ˈmɛr.i/ A2	adjective - cheerful or lively
golden /ˈgoʊl.dən/ B2	adjective - made of gold or having a bright yellow color
yore /jɔːr/ C1	noun - long ago, former times
faithful /ˈfeɪθ.fəl/ B2	adjective - loyal and reliable
fates /feɪts/ B2	noun - destinies or outcomes beyond control
allow /əˈlaʊ/ A2	verb - to permit or give permission
together /tʊˈɡɛð.ər/ A2	adverb - with each other, united
allow /əˈlaʊ/ A2	verb - to permit or give permission

Key Grammar Structures

• Have yourself a merry little Christmas

  ➔ Imperative mood

  ➔ The phrase "Have yourself" is an example of the imperative mood, which is used to give commands or make requests.

• Let your heart be light

  ➔ Subjunctive mood

  ➔ The phrase "Let your heart be" uses the subjunctive mood to express a wish or desire.

• Next year all our troubles will be out of sight

  ➔ Future simple tense

  ➔ The phrase "will be" indicates the future simple tense, used to express actions that will happen in the future.

• Once again as in olden days

  ➔ Adverbial phrase

  ➔ The phrase "Once again" serves as an adverbial phrase indicating repetition.

• Faithful friends who were near to us

  ➔ Relative clause

  ➔ The phrase "who were near to us" is a relative clause that provides additional information about "friends."

• If the fates allow

  ➔ Conditional clause

  ➔ The phrase "If the fates allow" is a conditional clause that expresses a condition for the action to take place.

• We'll have to muddle through somehow

  ➔ Future simple tense with modal verb

  ➔ The phrase "We'll have to" combines the future simple tense with a modal verb to express necessity in the future.