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12 Songs of Christmas: Rudy [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2023-12-20

Rudy is another mawkish song, but that’s okay. Sincerity is often seen as mawkish, and the best of the values that the Christmas season purports to propagate are sincere. Good will to people and peace on Earth are not, at their core, held ironically. And this song by the Be Good Tanyas is certainly sincere in its reminder that not everyone benefits from the holiday cheer and not everyone has a life that lends itself to a Hallmark Christmas movie (though, honestly, more of those big city woman returning home to find love in a small town need ot be asking where their small town boyfriend was on January 6th.). It is beautifully song and arranged, and one of my favorites, even if it is not a happy song.

Rudy lives on the borderline

Between civilization and basic survival

And the summertime treats him fairly well

But the wintertime is a dirty cold rival



It's wintertime now in Georgetown

The streets come alive with the Christmas light

And Rudy sleeps on a warm air grate

With a newspaper blanket on December nights



Deck the halls

Rudolph the red-nosed wino

Knows it's Christmas time

Jingle Bells and Christmas shoppers



Dashing through the snow

God rest ye merry gentlemen

Who've found it in your hearts

To flip Rudy a thin



And I'll be home for Christmas

But this man has

No place to go

Christmas has a meaning at all



The people of greed and incredible waste

They seek the deeper meaning

In the shopping mall

In a yuletide spirit

Of impatience and hate

Rudy is a patient man

Who tries to see the beauty in everything

Yes, and not a very demanding soul



Whose only wish is

To live until the Spring

Nobody knows the reasons why

Things turn out



Like the way they do

And there ain't no one to tell you

The reasons why

There's fortunate folks



Like me and you

Rudy must have people somewhere

Who wonder what

Became of the man



And Rudy must wonder

The same damn thing

As the crowd passes by

And he sticks out his hand



Deck the halls

Rudolph the red-nosed wino

Knows it's Christmas time

Jingle Bells in the Christmas Shop

Others dashing through the snow

God rest ye merry gentlemen

Who have found it in your hearts

To flip Rudy a thin



And I'll be home for Christmas

But this man has

No place to go

Rudy died on the borderline



Of a civilized world

On Christmas Eve

You know the shoppers shopped

And the temperatures dropped



On a man whose absence

Won't be grieved

Peace on the soul of the cop

Who found him dead in a booth



With his hand frozen to a telephone

You know, I think I know

Who he had on the line

And Rudy won't spend



This Christmas alone

Deck the halls

Rudolph the red-nosed wino

Knows it's Christmas time

Jingle Bells in the Christmas Shop

Others dashing through the snow

God rest ye merry gentlemen

Who have found it in your hearts



To flip Rudy a thin

And I'll be home for Christmas

And this year

Rudy gets to go



Yeah, I'll be home for Christmas

And this year, Rudy gets to go

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