Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer
I first heard the song, Grandma Got Run Over by A Reindeer in jr. high. It sounded funny, but I didn’t get much chance to hear it. I couldn’t figure out the words for many years.
In 2002, I saw announcements for a cartoon called Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer. Interested, I turned to the channel at that time. I enjoyed the story, which was based on the song, but I still couldn’t remember all the words, especially since the cartoon didn’t play the whole song.
Two years later, I decided to search the internet for the song lyrics and artists, expecting a story about an accident with a happy ending.
Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer
By Randy Brooks (1977) and Elmo Shropshire and Patsy Trigg (1979)
Grandma got run over by a reindeer,
Walking home from our house Christmas Eve,
You can say there’s no such thing as Santa,
But as for me and Grandpa, we believe.
She’d been drinking too much eggnog,
And we’d begged her not to go,
But she forgot her medication,
And she staggered out the door into the snow.
When we found her Christmas morning,
At the scene of the attack,
She had hoof prints on her forehead,
And incriminating Clause marks on her back.
Grandma go run over by a reindeer,
Walking’ home from our house Christmas Eve,
You can say there’s no such thing as Santa,
But as for me and Grandpa, we believe.
Now we’re all so proud of Grandpa,
He’s been taking this so well,
See him in there watching football,
Drinking beer and playing cards with cousin Mel.
It’s not Christmas without Grandma,
All the family’s dressed in black,
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt”>And we just can’t help but wonder,
Should we open up her gifts or send them back?
SEND THEM BACK!!!
Grandma got run over by a reindeer,
Walking home from our house Christmas Eve,
You can say there’s no such thing as Santa,
But as for me and Grandpa, we believe.
Now the goose is on the table,
And the pudding made of fig (Ahhhhh!),
And the blue and silver candle,
That would just have matched the hair in Grandma’s wig.
I’ve warned all my friends and neighbors,
Better watch out for yourselves,
They should never give a license,
To a man who drives a sleigh and plays with elves.
Sing it, Grandpa!
Grandma got run over by a reindeer,
Walking home from our house Christmas Eve,
You can say there’s no such thing as Santa,
But as for me and Grandpa, we believe.
Merry Christmas!
<span sty
le=”font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt”>Though the song was supposed to be humorous, I found the content sad. I realized that the cartoon had altered it to add some cheer and have a happy ending, but in the song it seemed as if Grandma met Jesus. I was reminded of the death and funeral of my maternal grandmother many years ago, and the grief returned. The song also gives Santa Claus a bad name.
Watching the cartoon again after learning the words helped. It was pretty faithful to the song, and I figured that the story in the song could be interpretted in a happier way, as in the cartoon. At the scene of the attack, it could either be her body or body print, and Grandma could be dead or just missing.