Jingle Bells
by James Lord Pierpont

© Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "Jingle Bells" is one of the best-known and most commonly sung songs in the world. It was written in 1850 by James Lord Pierpont at Simpson Tavern in Medford, Massachusetts. It was published under the title "The One Horse Open Sleigh" in September 1857. It has been claimed that it was originally written to be sung by a Sunday school choir for Thanksgiving, or as a drinking song. Although it has no original connection to Christmas, it became associated with winter and Christmas music in the 1860s and 1870s, and it was featured in a variety of parlor song and college anthologies in the 1880s. It was first recorded in 1889 on an Edison cylinder; this recording, believed to be the first Christmas record, is lost, but an 1898 recording - also from Edison Records - survives.

Original lyrics The two first stanzas and chorus of the original 1857 lyrics differed slightly from those known today. It is unknown who replaced the words with those of the modern version. Underlined lyrics are the removed lyrics from the original version. Bold lyrics are the new lyrics in the current version. Dashing thro' the snow, In a one-horse open sleigh, O'er the hills (fields) we go, Laughing all the way; Bells on bob tail ring, Making spirits bright, Oh what sport (What fun it is) to ride and sing A sleighing song tonight. |: chorus :| Jingle bells, jingle bells, Jingle all the way; Oh! what joy (fun) it is to ride In a one-horse open sleigh. A day or two ago I tho't I'd take a ride And soon Miss Fannie Bright Was seated by my side. The horse was lean and lank Misfortune seemed his lot He got into a drifted bank And we— (then) we got upsot.