Everyone knows the classic Christmas tune, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Gene Autry’s original recording made this rudolph song a holiday staple way back in 1949. And let’s not forget those beloved TV specials that have charmed generations, even if revisiting them as adults brings a different kind of amusement.
Recently, hearing my daughter sing the [Rudolph Song] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUcxKCjYIsM) sparked a memory from my own elementary school days in Nebraska. We sang a version of the Christmas song Rudolph that included some… extra creative liberties. Trying to recall these additions for my daughter led to a hilarious moment of disbelief from her – she couldn’t fathom that I wasn’t just making it up!
Logo for Hot 104.7 KKLS-FM radio station, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, featuring red and white text on a black background.
It was like little comedic echoes woven into the main Rudolph song lyrics. For instance, the line “They never let poor Rudolph, join in any reindeer games” was followed by a cheerful shout of “Like Monopoly!” Does this ring a bell for anyone else? It’s one of those quirky regional things, like chili with cinnamon rolls – common in some places, utterly foreign in others.
Perhaps it depended on the musical leanings of our elementary school music teacher. These added lyrics became ingrained when we performed a Christmas play in first grade. I vividly remember the excitement of that play, complete with new boots and a fancy polo shirt, topped off with a paper ring and stapled sticks to create a reindeer effect. Rehearsals were a blur of festive chaos, somewhere between one day and five weeks, memory is hazy on the exact duration.
But the lyrical additions are crystal clear. “Like the toothpaste!” we’d yell with gusto, referencing Gleem, a toothpaste brand from the ’80s era. And in response to Rudolph’s luminous nose, “Like a lightbulb!” became the standard enthusiastic interjection.
Variations on these added lines seem to exist. Some remember shouting historical figures like “George Washington!” or “Like Columbus!” But in my 1982 elementary school experience, it was “Like Nixon!” Perhaps that resonated more humorously with the zeitgeist of the time.
These extra lyrics are so deeply etched in my mind that they involuntarily erupt with every listening of the Rudolph song. Much to the amusement, and slight embarrassment, of my Christmas music-loving daughter.
Here are the Rudolph song lyrics with the additions as I remember them:
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Had a very shiny nose (like a light bulb) And if you ever saw it, You would even say it glowed (like a flashlight) All of the other reindeer, Used to laugh and call him names (like Pinocchio) They never let poor Rudolph, Join in any reindeer games (like Monopoly)
Then one foggy Christmas Eve, Santa came to say Rudolph with your nose so bright Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?
Then how the reindeer loved him, And they shouted out with glee (Like the toothpaste) Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, You’ll go down in history (like Nixon)
Original lyrics by Johnny Marks, 1949
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ben Kuhns is just some guy on the internet. He is a wannabe writer, and his wife thinks he’s funny. He writes for Results-Townsquare Media in Sioux Falls South Dakota.
