Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town – English Lyrics

• By: Frank Sinatra

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the magic behind "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town," a timeless Christmas carol that has charmed generations. Learn about its creation, the message of being good, and the joy it brings to the holiday season. Explore how this song became a beloved standard, recorded by Frank Sinatra and countless other artists, spreading the spirit of Christmas worldwide.

[English]

You better watch out, you better not cry

Better not pout, I'm telling you why

Santa Claus is comin' to town

He's making a list, and checking it twice

Gonna find out who's naughty and nice

Santa Claus is comin' to town

He sees you when you're sleepin'

He knows when you're awake

He knows if you've been bad or good

So be good for goodness' sake

Oh, you better watch out, you better not cry

Better not pout, I'm tellin' you why

Santa Claus is comin' to town

...

See, you better watch out, you better not cry

Better not pout, I'm telling you why

Santa Claus is comin' to town, to town

He's making a list, and he's checking it twice

He's gonna find out who's naughty and nice

Santa Claus is comin' to town

He sees you when you're sleepin'

He knows when you're awake

He knows if you've been bad or good

So be good for goodness' sake

Oh, you better watch out, you better not cry

Better not pout, I'm tellin' you why

Santa Claus is comin' to town!

...

Key Grammar Structures

• You better watch out, you better not cry

  ➔ Imperative with the modal-like adverb “better” for giving strong advice

  ➔ The word "better" functions like a modal, intensifying the imperative "watch out" and "not cry".

• He's making a list, and checking it twice

  ➔ Present continuous (progressive) for actions happening now

  ➔ "making" and "checking" are in the **present continuous** form, showing ongoing actions.

• Gonna find out who's naughty and nice

  ➔ Informal future with “going to” contracted to “gonna”

  ➔ "Gonna" is the colloquial contraction of "going to", used to express a future intention.

• He sees you when you're sleeping

  ➔ Zero conditional with present simple in both clauses

  ➔ "when" introduces a subordinate clause with the **present simple** "you're sleeping", showing a regular situation.

• He knows if you've been bad or good

  ➔ Present perfect in the subordinate clause after "if"

  ➔ "you've been" is **present perfect**, indicating a past action with relevance to the present.

• So be good for goodness' sake

  ➔ Imperative with bare infinitive “be” and a prepositional phrase of purpose

  ➔ "be" is the **bare infinitive** used in an imperative; "for goodness' sake" is a prepositional phrase indicating reason.

• I'm telling you why

  ➔ Present continuous with subject pronoun + verb + object

  ➔ "I'm" = "I am" + **present participle** "telling"; the sentence shows an ongoing action directed at "you".

• He knows when you're awake

  ➔ Temporal clause with "when" + present simple

  ➔ "when" introduces a **present simple** clause "you're awake", indicating a regular time reference.