Silver Bells – English Lyrics

• By: Dean Martin

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the heartwarming charm of Dean Martin's "Silver Bells," a timeless Christmas classic that encapsulates the joyous atmosphere of the holiday season. By exploring the lyrics, listeners can immerse themselves in vivid imagery of bustling city sidewalks and the iconic sound of silver bells, perfect for learning about cultural traditions and seasonal vocabulary.

[English]

City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style

In the air there's a feeling of Christmas

Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile

And on every street corner you hear

Silver bells (Silver bells), silver bells (Silver bells)

It's Christmas time in the city

Ring-a-ling (Ring-a-ling), hear them ring (Hear them ring)

Soon it'll be Christmas Day

...

(Strings of street lights, even stop lights, blink a bright red and green)

As the shoppers rush home with their treasures

(Hear the snow crush, see the kids bunch, this is Santa's big scene)

And above all this bustle you hear

(Silver bells) Silver bells, (Silver bells) silver bells

It's Christmas time in the city

Ring-a-ling (Ring-a-ling), hear them ring (Hear them ring)

Soon it'll be Christmas Day

(Silver bells, silver bells, silver, silver bells)

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
city /ˈsɪti/ A1	noun - a large town or urban center
sidewalk /ˈsaɪdwɔːk/ A2	noun - a paved path for pedestrians at the side of a road
busy /ˈbɪzi/ A2	adjective - having a great deal to do
holiday /ˈhɒlədeɪ/ A2	noun - a special day of celebration
style /staɪl/ B1	noun - a particular way of doing something
feeling /ˈfiːlɪŋ/ A2	noun - an emotional state or reaction
Christmas /ˈkrɪsməs/ A1	noun - the annual Christian festival celebrating Christ's birth
laughing /ˈlæfɪŋ/ A1	verb - to make sounds showing amusement
people /ˈpiːpl/ A1	noun - human beings in general or considered collectively
passing /ˈpæsɪŋ/ A2	verb - going past someone or something
smile /smaɪl/ A1	noun - an expression of happiness or amusement verb - to have or show a smile
street /striːt/ A1	noun - a public road in a city or town
corner /ˈkɔːrnər/ A2	noun - a place where two or more sides or edges meet
silver /ˈsɪlvər/ A2	noun - a precious shiny grayish-white metal adjective - of a color like silver
bells /belz/ A1	noun - a hollow metal object that makes a ringing sound when struck
ring /rɪŋ/ A2	verb - to make a clear resonant sound noun - a sound made by something ringing
lights /laɪts/ A1	noun - the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible
bright /braɪt/ B1	adjective - giving out or reflecting a lot of light
red /red/ A1	adjective - of a color like that of blood
green /ɡriːn/ A1	adjective - of a color like that of grass or leaves
shoppers /ˈʃɒpərz/ A2	noun - people who are shopping
rush /rʌʃ/ B1	verb - move with urgent speed.
home /hoʊm/ A1	noun - the place where one lives
treasures /ˈtreʒərz/ B2	noun - valuable or precious objects
snow /snoʊ/ A1	noun - precipitation in the form of ice crystals
crush /krʌʃ/ B1	verb - to compress forcefully so as to break or injure noun - a dense crowd of people
kids /kɪdz/ A1	noun - a child or young person
scene /siːn/ B1	noun - the place where an incident in real life or fiction occurs or occurred
big /bɪɡ/ A1	adjective - of considerable size, extent, or intensity
bustle /ˈbʌsl/ B2	noun - busy activity
day /deɪ/ A1	noun - a period of 24 hours

Key Grammar Structures

• City sidewalks, busy sidewalks, dressed in holiday style

  ➔ Adjectives used in a series

  ➔ The phrase uses multiple adjectives like "city" and "busy" to describe "sidewalks".

• In the air there's a feeling of Christmas

  ➔ Existential 'there' construction

  ➔ The phrase uses 'there' to indicate the existence of something, in this case, a feeling.

• Children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile

  ➔ Present participles for simultaneous actions

  ➔ The use of present participles like 'laughing' and 'passing' indicates actions happening at the same time.

• It's Christmas time in the city

  ➔ Simple present tense for general truths

  ➔ The simple present tense 'is' indicates a general truth about the time of year.

• Ring-a-ling, hear them ring

  ➔ Imperative mood for commands

  ➔ The phrase uses the imperative 'hear' to give a command or request.

• Soon it'll be Christmas Day

  ➔ Future tense with 'will'

  ➔ The phrase uses 'will' to indicate an event that is expected to happen in the future.