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 cryBetter 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 Vocabulary
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Key Grammar Structures
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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".
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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".
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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.
