O Christmas Tree – English Lyrics

• By: Bryan Adams
• Album: A Great Big Holiday Jam

Lyrics & Translation

If you're looking to learn the festive vocabulary and sentiment of the holiday season, Bryan Adams’s lively cover of the traditional German carol "O Christmas Tree" is an excellent choice. Its simple, repetitive lyrics are a classic ode to the Christmas tree, making it easy to follow along, while its upbeat, cheerful arrangement makes it a modern and engaging listen. The song provides insight into the enduring symbolism of the evergreen tree in Western holiday culture, all delivered in Adams's distinctive rock-influenced style.

[English]

Last song, girl.

>> All right,

here we go.

Oh, Christmas [music] tree,

oh Christmas tree,

how lovely are your branches.

Oh Christmas [music] tree,

oh Christmas tree,

how lovely are your branches?

Not only green

in summer's heat,

but also [singing]

winter's [music]

snow and sleep.

Oh Christmas [music] tree, oh Christmas

tree,

how lovely are your branches.

[music]

Oh Christmas tree,

oh Christmas [music] tree,

of all the trees most lovely.

Oh Christmas tree,

oh Christmas tree,

of all the trees

most lovely. [music]

Each year you bring to us delight

with brightly [music] shineing

Christmas lights. [music]

Oh Christmas tree,

oh [music]

Christmas tree

of all the trees [music]

most lovely.

Oh Christmas tree,

oh [singing and music] Christmas tree,

of all [music and singing] the trees

most

lovely.

[music]

[music]

Happy Christmas everybody.

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
lovely ˈlʌvli A2	adjective - attractive, pleasing, or appealing
branches ˈbræntʃɪz A1	noun - a division of a tree stemming from the trunk
green ɡriːn A1	adjective - of the color between blue and yellow in the spectrum
summer ˈsʌmər A1	noun - the warmest season of the year
heat hiːt A1	noun - the quality of being hot
winter ˈwɪntər A1	noun - the coldest season of the year
snow snoʊ A1	noun - precipitation in the form of ice crystals
sleep sliːp A1	noun - a natural periodic state of rest verb - to be in a state of rest
delight dɪˈlaɪt B1	noun - great pleasure or satisfaction verb - to give great pleasure to
brightly ˈbraɪtli A2	adverb - in a bright manner
shining ˈʃaɪnɪŋ A2	verb - to emit light
lights laɪts A1	noun - a source of illumination

Key Grammar Structures

• Oh, Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, how lovely are your branches.

  ➔ Interrogative sentence with subject-verb inversion

  ➔ The sentence "how lovely are your branches" uses subject-verb inversion, typical in questions. Here, "are" (verb) comes before "your branches" (subject).

• Not only green in summer's heat, but also winter's snow and sleep.

  ➔ Parallel structure with 'not only... but also'

  ➔ The phrase uses parallel structure to compare two states: "green in summer's heat" and "winter's snow and sleep" are balanced by 'not only... but also'.

• Each year you bring to us delight with brightly shining Christmas lights.

  ➔ Present simple tense for habitual actions

  ➔ The verb phrase "bring to us delight" is in the present simple tense, indicating a habitual action that occurs every year.

• Of all the trees most lovely.

  ➔ Superlative adjective with 'most'

  ➔ The phrase uses the superlative form "most lovely" to emphasize the highest degree of loveliness among all trees.