Author Topic: I Believe In Father Christmas  (Read 10712 times)

slaneman

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I Believe In Father Christmas
« on: December 02, 2008, 01:06:33 AM »
I Believe In Father Christmas
Written by Greg Lake and Peter Sinfield (1974)
Performed by U2 (Released 2008-12-01)

They said there'd be snow on Christmas
They said there'd be peace on earth
But instead it just keeps on raining
Veil of tears for the virgin birth

I remember on Christmas morning
A winter’s light and a distant choir
And the peal of a bell, the Christmas tree smell
Eyes full of tinsel and fire

They sold me a dream of Christmas
They sold me a Silent Night
They sold me a fairy story
But I believe in the Israelite

I believed in Father Christmas
I looked to the sky with excited eyes
Till I woke with a yawn in the first light of dawn
And saw him through his disguise

I wish you a hopeful Christmas
I wish you a brave New Year
All anguish, pain and sadness
Leave your heart, let your road be clear

They said there'll be snow at Christmas
They said there'll be peace on Earth
Hallelujah Noel be it heaven or hell
The Christmas we get we deserve

Ah-ru-pa-pa-pa...etc.

Brad

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Re: I Believe In Father Christmas
« Reply #1 on: December 02, 2008, 04:55:39 PM »
Spot on as far as I can tell.

I've been trying to decide whether I hear "Israelite" or "Israelites," but "Israelite" makes more sense.

slaneman

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Re: I Believe In Father Christmas
« Reply #2 on: December 02, 2008, 11:39:47 PM »
For me it was the "there'll" vs the "there'd". As it turns out Bono reversed their occurrence from the original. Plus a few other subtle changes. I recommend listening to the originals which are on Youtube to appreciate how good U2's little cover version is. Or dig out your old ELP records... ;D

Here are Greg Lake's lyrics transcribed from his first solo release--


They said there'll be snow at Christmas
They said there'll be peace on earth
But instead it just kept on raining
A veil of tears for the virgin birth

I remember one Christmas morning
A winter’s light and a distant choir
And the peal of a bell and that Christmas tree smell
And eyes full of tinsel and fire

They sold me a dream of Christmas
They sold me a Silent Night
And they told me a fairy story
'Till I believed in the Israelite

And I believed in Father Christmas
And I looked to the sky with excited eyes
Then I woke with a yawn in the first light of dawn
And I saw him and through his disguise

I wish you a hopeful Christmas
I wish you a brave New Year
All anguish, pain and sadness
Leave your heart and let your road be clear

They said there'd be snow at Christmas
They said there'd be peace on Earth
Hallelujah Noel be it heaven or hell
The Christmas we get we deserve

 I transcribed 2 versions of the original sung by Greg Lake before I even started transcribing the U2 one. The lyrics were exactly the same. So I knew I had a solid set to compare with.
I anticipated that Bono would somehow put his stamp on the song. The original was intended to be a statement about the over commercialization of Christmas. Bono's version, using a great singer's instincts for words, makes it a statement of faith. It reminds me somewhat of Yahweh.

Interesting that about 20 years ago U2 released another charity video, It's Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home). which we all have now from the JT remaster.

I know it's a cover but this studio video is making me very anxious to hear the new album. Edge's guitar sounds so f...g good and Bono's voice is in excellent form. Watching Larry do the jingle bells, tambourine, and then the mallets...can't wait for more.
Sorry Adam, 3 notes wasn't much to play...


slaneman

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Re: I Believe In Father Christmas
« Reply #3 on: December 26, 2008, 01:52:46 AM »
The U2.com Christmas treat is a "behind the scenes" video clip showing the band during the shoot. One comment by the producer Ned O'Hanlon caught my attention--

"About an hour and a half ago, we got the band upstairs into the studio, from a standing start, ah, the four guys never played, never heard it, didn’t know the lyric, and we have a video in the bag, which is, ah, quite extraordinary."