Merry Christmas Baby

• By: Otis Redding

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
merry /ˈmeri/ A2	adjective - cheerful and lively
Christmas /ˈkrɪsməs/ A1	noun - the annual Christian festival celebrating Christ's birth, held on December 25
baby /ˈbeɪbi/ A1	noun - a very young child noun - a term of endearment
treat /triːt/ B1	verb - behave towards someone or deal with something in a specified way
nice /naɪs/ A1	adjective - pleasant; agreeable; satisfactory
diamond /ˈdaɪəmənd/ B1	noun - a precious stone consisting of a clear and colorless crystalline form of pure carbon
ring /rɪŋ/ A1	noun - a circular band, typically made of precious metal and worn on a finger
paradise /ˈpærədaɪs/ B2	noun - an ideal or idyllic place or state
music /ˈmjuːzɪk/ A1	noun - vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion
radio /ˈreɪdiəʊ/ A1	noun - the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves
kiss /kɪs/ A1	verb - touch or caress with the lips as a sign of love, sexual desire, or reverence
mistletoe /ˈmɪsltəʊ/ B2	noun - a plant with yellowish flowers and white berries, traditionally used as a Christmas decoration
Santa /ˈsæntə/ A1	noun - Santa Claus
chimney /ˈtʃɪmni/ A2	noun - a vertical channel or pipe that conducts smoke and combustion gases up from a fire or furnace and typically through the roof of a building.
presents /ˈprezənts/ A2	noun - a thing given to someone as a gift
love /lʌv/ A1	verb - have a strong feeling of affection for someone
happy /ˈhapi/ A1	adjective - feeling or showing pleasure or contentment
year /jɪər/ A1	noun - the time it takes the earth to travel around the sun
beautiful /ˈbjuːtɪfl/ A2	adjective - pleasing the senses or mind aesthetically
give /ɡɪv/ A1	verb - freely transfer the possession of (something) to (someone)

Grammar:

• Sure do treat me nice

  ➔ Emphasis with "do"

  ➔ The auxiliary verb "do" is used here for emphasis. While grammatically correct, it's a colloquial way of stressing that she "treats" him well. The standard form would be "You really treat me nice" or "You treat me very nice".

• I feel like I'm in paradise

  ➔ Subjunctive Mood (Present Unreal)

  ➔ The phrase "feel like" can be followed by a clause expressing a hypothetical situation. The present subjunctive, although often omitted in spoken English, is implied: "I feel like I "were" in paradise". The use of "am" is common in informal speech.

• I've got music on my radio

  ➔ Use of "got" as a substitute for "have"

  ➔ "I've got" is a common contraction of "I have got", which is equivalent to "I have" in this context, indicating possession. "I have got" is more common in British English than American English.

• Standing beneath that mistletoe

  ➔ Present Participle as an Adverbial Modifier

  ➔ "Standing" is a present participle functioning as an adverbial modifier, describing the circumstance under which he feels like kissing her. It could be expanded to a full clause: "While I am standing beneath that mistletoe..."

• Left all them good ole presents

  ➔ Non-Standard Pronoun Usage: "them" as a determiner

  ➔ In standard English, "them" is a pronoun, but here it's used as a determiner (like "those"), which is non-standard but common in some dialects. The standard form would be "Left all those good old presents". "Ole" is an archaic spelling of "old".

• I love you, baby, rest of my life

  ➔ Ellipsis (Omission of 'for the')

  ➔ The phrase "rest of my life" implies "for the rest of my life". The omission of "for the" is common in informal speech and song lyrics.