PO' FOLKS CHRISTMAS
(Bill Anderson)

Bill Anderson - 1968



 
There's a whole lotta people lookin' down their noses at me
'Cause I didn't come from a wealthy family
I guess I learned to take it for most of the year
But every December when Christmas drew near
And all the other families were out spreadin' cheer
We was sittin' home being po' folks

Our Christmas shoppin' was thumblin' through the new catalogue
Lookin' and a-wishin' and a-wantin' everything we saw
Little toy trains and little toy boats
And sister kept lookin' at the little girls' coats
We all sat down and wrote Santa a note
But Santa don't come to see po' folks
And we wadn't nothing but po' folks

Po' folks livin' way in the country
We never heard the jingle of the jingle bells
Ho-Ho-Ho, we was po'-po'-po'
And if we had Christmas, well we just made it ourselves

Daddy took a hatchet and Daddy chopped a pine tree down
The only decorations were the ones we made or found
Brother saw some holly in the rich man's yard
He picked it up fast and ran home hard
Mama knew he stole it, but bless her heart
Christmas ain't easy on po' folks
And it ain't no time for whippin' po' folks

I remember one Christmas it was blowin' and a snowing real mean
Wadn't nothin' in the kitchen but a few of Mama's home-canned beans
Some ladies from the church brought a basket of food
Mama kinda smiled and she said, "That's good,
But why don't you all just take it 
To the folks that live down the road
They ain't got as much as we do
Huh, why they're just po' folks"

She only kept a chicken and enough to make some homemade bread
But you'd've thought we was feastin' from the blessing that my Daddy said
And later when the kids was tucked in tight
And the fire wadn't nothin' but a flickering light
You oughta heard my Mama sing 'Silent Night'
'Cause that's what you do when you're po' folks
And we wadn't nothin' but po' folks
Christmas time when you're po' folks

SPOKEN:
The Lord sure must've loved us po' folks 
Ha-ha, he made a passel of us
Everybody at my house was po' folks 
Why most of the time we was so po'
We couldn't even pay attention, mercy 
Christmas time when you're po' folks


(Transcribed by Mel Priddle - November 2010)