Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

The song, ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas‘ always sounded a little plaintive to me.

Judy Garland, sang it first for a scene in, “Meet Me in St Louis” (1944) in which her character comforts her younger sister, Margaret.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Let your heart be light
Next year all our troubles will be out of sight

Have yourself a merry little Christmas
Make the yuletide gay
Next year all our troubles will be miles away

Once again as in olden days
Happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who were near to us
Will be dear to us once more

Someday soon we all will be together
If the fates allow
Until then, we’ll have to muddle through somehow
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now

The song “began with the melody,” says songwriter Hugh Martin. “I found a little madrigal-like tune that I liked but couldn’t make work, so I played with it for two or three days and then threw it in the wastebasket.” But his collaborator, Ralph Blane heard the music and figured it was mad to throw it out, so the fished it out of the trashcan.

Judy Garland didn’t like the original lyrics; apparently, saying they were too depressing and if she were to sing them, “Margaret will cry, and they’ll think I’m a monster”.

Hollywood executives requested a rewrite. “They said, ‘No, no – it’s a sad scene, but we want sort of an upbeat song, which will make it even sadder if she’s smiling through her tears,” Martin said.

But Martin, (who has since claimed the whole soundtrack was his work alone with no contribution from Blane), wasn’t keen for a rewrite. He had to be firmly nudged by a friend, actor Tom Drake, to write a new verse.

Furthermore, there’s also a later version sung by Frank Sinatra, who asked the songwriter Martin to sprinkle a little festive joy on the rather downbeat penultimate line for his Christmas album, ‘A Jolly Christmas‘.

Through the years
We all will be together
If the fates allow
So hang a shining star upon the highest bough
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

And that’s how ‘Hang a shining star upon the highest bough’ came to replace Garland’s melancholic line, “Until then, we’ll have to muddle through somehow”.

But neither of those versions are the original lyrics. Here now, are the initial, truly melancholy words before the Judy Garland requested rewrite. I don’t subscribe to the last stanza (“But at least we will all be together if the Lord Allows”) but otherwise I feel these lyrics are closer to the truth.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas.
It may be your last.
Next year we may all be living in the past.
Have yourself a merry little Christmas.
Pop that champagne cork.
Next year we may all be living in New York.
No good times like the olden days.
Happy golden days of yore.
Faithful friends who were dear to us.
Will be near to us no more.
But at least we all will be together.
If the Lord allows.
From now on, we’ll have to muddle through somehow.
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

As of December 21st, we’re past the Winter Solstice. So that means: the days grow longer again.
– More light: that is something at least.