Parson Brown (Our Christmas Dinner) - The New Christy Minstrels

There was a man in our town

He was a man of great renown

And his name was william brown

He was a parson

Christmas week was drawing near

Father and mother were very poor

Had no pudding nor meat in store

For our christmas dinner

I heard pa telling ma

That we weren't gonna have a christmas this year 'cause we was too poor

That made me feel kind of sad so I went out of the house singing

Merry christmas we can't keep

Got no shoes upon my feet

And we have no pudding and meat

For our christmas dinner

A little while later

I went back into the house and I heard ma talking to pa

Henry where'd you get that sheep

Why isn't that the parson's big black sheep

Henry you didn't but he sure did

And now that things were looking up a little bit

I went out of the house singing as loud as I could

Merry christmas we shall keep

Now we've got some pudding and meat

Father stole the parson's sheep

For our christmas dinner

Little boy come over here

Would you mind singing that for me again

Sure parson be glad to

Merry christmas we shall keep

Now we've got some pudding and meat

Father stole the parson's sheep

For our christmas dinner

Well now I sure like the way you sing that

Listen if I give you a shiny new pocket watch and half a crown

Would you come down to my church next sabbath

And sing for the whole congregation

Yes sir

You be there now

So next sunday

With my shiny new pocket watch in one hand

And the half crown in the other

I walked down the aisle and the parson he says

Now listen here everybody

I want you to listen to the song this little boy sings

'Cause every word is the gospel truth

And I takes a big breath and I begins to sing

As I was walking out one day

I met the parson dressed so gay

He and miss molly was makin' hay

Stepped right up and kissed her

Well that's a lie no that's a lie

Everybody just laughed

So I went runnin' back up the aisle singing

How I cheated parson brown

Out of a watch and half a crown

Telling everyone around

How he kissed miss molly

Gee you know

It sure was a swell christmas dinner that year