This Is Christmas – English Lyrics

• By: Luther Vandross

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the heartwarming spirit of Christmas through Luther Vandross's "This Is Christmas." This classic R&B holiday song offers a blend of soulful vocals and festive vibes, perfect for embracing the season's joy and love. Experience how Vandross's music brings people together and makes the holiday season special.

[English]

Don't be discouraged

Don't be dismayed

There's hope for all in this world

'Cause this is Christmas day

Say a little prayer for the world

God teach us love

Though you think that He doesn't hear

I know He does

This is Christmas, let the world sing

Let us all begin to heal

Hallelujah, this is Christmas

And with love we can begin today

Christmas bells ring

People's hearts sing

And I forget about all the troubles I seem to have

And I tell myself to feel how my brother feels

Try to love him and maybe then I'll understand him

Make a little room in our hearts

No heart's too small

Can't we love each other today?

'Cause after all

This is Christmas, let the world sing

Let us all begin to heal

Hallelujah, this is Christmas

And with love we can begin today

(Come, come, come see the little one)

Come (come, come, come see the little one)

Come see the baby, yeah, yeah, ooh

Come (come see the baby) yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, ooh

You know, you know

(This is Christmas) yes it is, (let the) world sing

Let us all begin to heal, all begin, we can all begin

(Hallelujah) hallelujah (this is Christmas) yeah yeah

(And with love) we can begin today

(This is Christmas, let the world sing) yeah

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah (let us all begin to heal) ooh, today

(Hallelujah) this is Christmas

And with love we can begin

This is Christmas, let the world sing

Let us all begin to heal

Hallelujah, this is Christmas

And with love we can begin

This is Christmas

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
hope /hoʊp/ B1	noun - a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen verb - to want something to happen or be true
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - deep affection verb - to feel deep affection for
heal /hiːl/ B1	verb - to make healthy again
world /wɜːrld/ A1	noun - the earth, together with all of its countries and peoples
Christmas /ˈkrɪsməs/ B1	noun - the annual Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus
prayer /prɛər/ B1	noun - a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God
heart /hɑːrt/ A2	noun - the organ that pumps blood
brother /ˈbrʌðər/ A1	noun - a male sibling
understand /ˌʌndərˈstænd/ B1	verb - to grasp the meaning, significance, or nature of something
trouble /ˈtrʌbəl/ B1	noun - difficulty or problems
small /smɔːl/ A1	adjective - of a size that is less than normal
begin /bɪˈɡɪn/ A2	verb - to start
sing /sɪŋ/ A1	verb - to produce musical sounds with the voice
bell /bɛl/ A1	noun - a hollow metal instrument that makes a ringing sound
ring /rɪŋ/ A2	verb - to produce a clear resonant sound
discouraged /dɪˈskʌrɪdʒd/ B2	adjective - having lost confidence or enthusiasm
dismayed /dɪsˈmeɪd/ B2	adjective - feeling consternation and distress
teach /tiːtʃ/ A2	verb - to give instruction
forget /fərˈɡɛt/ A2	verb - to fail to remember
feel /fiːl/ A1	verb - to experience an emotion or sensation

Key Grammar Structures

• Don't be discouraged, Don't be dismayed

  ➔ Imperative with 'do not' (Don't) + Past Participle

  ➔ This uses the imperative mood to offer encouragement. The structure 'Don't be + adjective' is a common way to give advice or a command. The adjectives 'discouraged' and 'dismayed' are used as past participles functioning as adjectives.

• There's hope for all in this world

  ➔ Contraction ('There's' = 'There is') + Noun Phrase with Prepositional Phrase

  ➔ The contraction 'There's' is a common feature of spoken and informal written English. The phrase 'for all in this world' functions as a prepositional phrase modifying 'hope', indicating who or what the hope is for.

• Say a little prayer for the world

  ➔ Imperative + Adjective + Noun + Prepositional Phrase

  ➔ This is a direct command. 'A little' modifies 'prayer', indicating a small or brief prayer. 'For the world' is a prepositional phrase specifying the object of the prayer.

• Though you think that He doesn't hear

  ➔ Subordinate Clause with 'Though' + Indirect Speech ('He doesn't hear')

  ➔ The word 'Though' introduces a concessive clause, meaning 'even if'. 'That He doesn't hear' is an example of indirect speech, reporting what someone thinks. The contraction 'doesn't' is used.

• Christmas bells ring, People's hearts sing

  ➔ Simple Present Tense + Noun + Verb + Possessive Noun + Noun + Verb

  ➔ This uses the simple present tense to describe habitual actions or general truths. The structure is parallel, creating a poetic effect. 'People's' is a possessive noun.