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These lyrics are obviously copyrighted. Did someone get permission to quote them?

This article can't be right - I have a Judy Collins version of the song with the "muddle through" lyrics. Can someone fact check this? Phil Sandifer 19:45, 12 November 2005 (UTC)

I agree. The brighter lyrics were put in later for a commercial recording. I believe it was one made by Frank Sinatra. I don't have source material on hand. I will do what I can to find it. Ecokeeffe 04:38, 18 November 2005 (UTC)ecokeeffe, 20:37 PST, 18 November 2005

I don't know for whom the "highest bough" line was added (it is generally reported that Sinatra demanded the change, which wouldn't surprise me) but I have never EVER seen anybody suggest that that was the original lyric, as this page nonsensically suggests. (Have you ever seen the movie 'Meet Me In St. Louis' that they wrote the song for? A "happy" Christmas song would never have made sense there.) Since the first recorded version of the song is in the film 'Meet Me In St. Louis' with the words "muddle through somehow," I suggest we list that lyric as prior to the "highest bough" one unless somebody can cite a source to the contrary. 68.9.190.116 18:27, 16 December 2005 (UTC)

PS: The lyric that has "I know that" and "ends "Have ourselves ..." is the James Taylor take on the song recorded after 9-11. It's obvious those aren't the original lyrics because that would make the title of teh song "Have ourselves a Merry Little Christmas."68.9.190.116 18:29, 16 December 2005 (UTC)

I have moved the lyrics sung in MMISL to the top since that is the earliest recorded version. If somebody can cite evidence of an earlier version, then move that to the top. I also cut out the paragraph about later versions dropping the "depressing" lyrics on NPOV grounds. 68.9.190.116 18:34, 16 December 2005 (UTC)

OK: I think my changes should satisfy everyone: I listed the MMISL lyrics as the first recorded, without making claims about whether those are the "original" lyrics, and calle dthe brighter lyrics "alternate" not "later." I am taking the liberty of removing the accuracy sign, but feel free to restore it if you think I didn't do a good job. It's Christmas time, and this page might get a lot of hits, and we don't want it to be a mess.68.9.190.116 18:39, 16 December 2005 (UTC)

Contents 1 "Muddle through" lyrics 2 Dark, not so dark, a little bright, ugh, too bright! 3 Slight rewrite for Sinatra 4 - Implication of 'Blue Moon' plagarism - 4.1 --Furthermore-- 4.2 Cover version.. 4.3 "Fates" Was "Lord?"

[edit] "Muddle through" lyrics

James Taylor's version is that of the "early version" lyrics, including the muddle through line, FYI. Anthony 02:27, 20 November 2005 (UTC)

Yes but he takes a couple of liberties like adding "I know that" which is fine, but we should be careful to to transcribe his version and post it as 100% original lyrics. 68.9.190.116 18:39, 16 December 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Dark, not so dark, a little bright, ugh, too bright!

I believe the Judy Garland version, with the "muddle through" lyrics, is a sort of a half-way house between the earlier, considerably darker "Have yourself a merry little Christmas, it may be your last" version and the later Sinatra version. The original lyrics were re-written to remove the darkest elements at the behest of Garland and studio bosses, but they retained the melancholy, but hopeful theme. By the time Sinatra got his hands on it the song had dispensed with most of the remaining melancholy, with gay yuletides and shining boughs popping up all over the place, and a cosy present tense adopted in place of the forboding ("it may be your last" earliest draft) or hopeful ("now kinda sucks, but maybe next year will be better" Judy Garland version) future tense. - Barra

[edit] Slight rewrite for Sinatra

The song was slightly rewritten (actually a line or two) at Frank Sinatra's request when he recorded it in 1949. Sinatra was recording the albun "A Jolly Christmas" and liked the song but felt it was a little too downbeat for the album. This is confirmed by Hugh Martin himself in an interview in the video/television program "Del & Friends" in which Martin is interviewed about his life and accompanies religious singer Del Delker who performs his new religious version of the song "Have Yourself a Blessed Little Christmas." The "highest bough" line was indeed written for Sinatra.

[edit] - Implication of 'Blue Moon' plagarism -

I think the final comment in the article about this sharing chord changes with 'Blue Moon'(Cmaj7-Am-Dm7-G7) is an unfair implication of plagarism. The melodies for the two songs are completely different. Having a common chord progression in the verses means nothing.

[edit] --Furthermore--

The common chord progression only occurs for a couple of repetitions before veering off in a different direction. This changes the character of the song substantially and makes it quite different in every way from other songs that used this progression repetitively. I feel this section should be removed. --InsultComicDog 17:22, 24 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Cover version..

There's a cover of it by an Australian artist called Paulini.

[edit] "Fates" Was "Lord?"

On the Young Messiah tour in the 1990s, I heard Christian artist Twila Paris preface her performance of this song by saying the lyricist originally used the word "Lord" rather than "fates"..."if the Lord allows." Paris said the lyricist was asked to change it to make it acceptable to non-religious people. Paris then sang the song as the writer "originally intended"...but in reality, she keep all the Sinatra lyrics most commonly recognized "highest bough," etc. She only reverted that one word. Is this true or or an urban legend? The fact that Martin re-wrote the lyrics in recent years with a Christian emphasis seems to indicate it might be true, but I was wondering if anyone knew for sure. - Thanks, DBM —Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.32.18.4 (talk) 21:13, 26 January 2008 (UTC)

The first version did indeed contain the line "If the Lord allows", which was changed to "If the fates allow" in the recorded version. But the lyrics were rewritten at the request of Judy Garland before the movie version was filmed; she thought she'd seem like a "monster" if she sang the original to Margaret O'Brien. I doubt that the change from "Lord" to "fates" was for the reason Twila Paris claimed; the change from singular to plural permits the exact rhyme ("allow/somehow/now") to replace the inexact one ("allows/somehow/now"). And as you point out, Paris's version seems more focused on her personal intent rather than the author's. The original lyrics were: "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. " - Nunh-huh 21:25, 26 January 2008 (UTC)