Santa Claus is Coming To Town – English Lyrics
Lyrics & Translation
[English]
You better watch out, you better not cry
You better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
He's making a list and checking it twice
He's gonna find out who's naughty and nice
Santa Claus is coming to town
He sees you when you're sleeping
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 telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
...
Say, you better watch out, you better not cry
You better not pout, I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
He's making a list and he's checking it twice
He's gonna find out who's been naughty and nice
Santa Claus is coming to town
He sees you when you're sleeping
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 telling you why
Santa Claus is coming, to town
...
Key Vocabulary
| Vocabulary | Meanings |
|---|---|
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Santa Claus /ˈsæntə klɔːz/ A1 |
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watch /wɒtʃ/ A2 |
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cry /kraɪ/ A1 |
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pout /paʊt/ B1 |
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naughty /ˈnɔːti/ A2 |
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nice /naɪs/ A1 |
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list /lɪst/ A2 |
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good /ɡʊd/ A1 |
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find /faɪnd/ A1 |
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making /ˈmeɪkɪŋ/ B1 |
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sleeps /sliːp/ A1 |
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awake /əˈweɪk/ B1 |
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Key Grammar Structures
-
You better watch out, you better not cry
➔ "Better" + verb (bare infinitive)
➔ This uses "better" (short for "had better") followed by the base form of the verb to express a strong suggestion or warning. It implies a negative consequence if the advice isn't followed. "You "had better" watch out" is shortened to "You "better" watch out".
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I'm telling you why
➔ Present Continuous for future reference
➔ The present continuous "I'm telling" can be used to talk about future plans or events that are already decided. Here, it suggests the speaker will soon explain the reason.
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He's making a list and checking it twice
➔ Present Continuous for ongoing actions
➔ The "Present Continuous" (He is making, checking) describes an action that is happening at the moment of speaking, or around this time.
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He's gonna find out who's naughty and nice
➔ "Gonna" (going to) + verb (future)
➔ "Gonna" is an informal contraction of "going to", used to express a future intention or prediction. It indicates Santa Claus will definitely discover who is naughty and nice.
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He sees you when you're sleeping
➔ Present Simple for habitual actions/facts
➔ The "Present Simple" (He sees) is used to describe facts or things that are generally true. In this case, it describes a capability/characteristic of Santa.
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So be good for goodness' sake
➔ Imperative + Prepositional Phrase for reason
➔ "Be good" is an imperative, a direct command. "For goodness' sake" is a prepositional phrase explaining the reason for the command – to be good for the sake of being good, to avoid negative consequences.
