Jolly Old Saint Nicholas

Christmas song, U.S.A.

“Jolly Old Saint Nicholas” is a Christmas song originated by a poem by Emily Huntington Miller (1833-1913), published as “Lilly’s Secret” in The Little Corporal Magazine in December 1865, as the lyrics in common use closely resemble Miller’s 1865 poem.

The song has been attributed to John Piersol McCaskey, a school principal and former Mayor of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, who wrote the song in 1867. The “Johnny” mentioned in the song who wants a pair of skates is McCaskey’s late son, John, who died as a child.

The song is traditionally performed to a melody which James Lord Pierpont wrote in 1857 for the original version of “Jingle Bells”.

Table of Contents

  1. Karaoke Video with Lyrics
  2. Lyrics
  3. Free karaoke MP3 download
  4. Commercial License for Jolly Old Saint Nicholas (karaoke)
  5. MP4 Video File | Free Download
  6. Jolly Old Saint Nicholas Sheet Music

Karaoke Video with Lyrics

Lyrics

1. Jolly old St. Nicholas, lean your ear this way!
Don’t you tell a single soul what I’m going to say.
Christmas Eve is coming soon! Now, you dear old man.
Whisper what you’ll bring to me; Tell me if you can.

2. When the clock is striking twelve. When I’m fast asleep,
Down the chimney broad and black, with your pack you’ll creep.
All the stockings you will see hanging in a row;
Mine will be the shortest ones – you’ll be sure to know.

3. Johnny wants a pair of skates, Susy wants a dolly,
Nelly wants a story book – she thinks dolls a folly.
As for me, my little brain never was the wisest.
Choose for me, old Santa Claus, what you think is nicest.

Click on the button to watch a karaoke video and download a PDF file with lyrics to this song for free.

Free karaoke MP3 download

To download your free instrumental mp3 of this song, click or tap on the following button, then choose “Save link as…”

“Jolly Old Saint Nicholas” (instrumental, 1:28 – 2/4 – 105 bpm)

Commercial License for Jolly Old Saint Nicholas (karaoke)

Purchase a license that permits the commercial use of this track. You can license this track for:

YouTube license

YouTube License

Meta - Facebook and Instagram license

Insta/FB License

TikTok License

TikTok License

Other commercial licenses

Other License

Not sure which license is best for you?

Read our licensing page or contact us!

Singing Christmas with our Kids, Vol.1

Singing Christmas with Our Kids Volume 1 Cover

Christmas is a time to rejoice, and singing certainly does bring that. This is your chance to teach your children some all-time favorite carols and sing them along yourself, too.

Singing Bell on Apple Music
Singing Bell on Spotify

MP4 Video File | Free Download

To watch the karaoke video of this song on your mobile device, click on the following link to download the video file (mp4 format).

Jolly Old Saint Nicholas| Free mp4 Video File Download

Click on the button to watch a piano tutorial video and download a PDF file with music score of this song for free.

Jolly Old Saint Nicholas Sheet Music

Jolly Old Saint Nicholas Sheet Music

Did you like this post? Rate it!

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (4 vote(s), average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...

You may also like:

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

While Shepherds Watched their Flocks

The Holly and the Ivy

Related Posts for Jolly Old Saint Nicholas

Leave a Reply