Wuz de night befo' Chrisma, wit de moon big lak jumbo, Us Cajun was stirrin' a big pot o' gumbo. Sock we sho got, but we don' got no shoes. De cillern all cover good down on de flo' Wit moss onderneat, so dey don' get so soe.
Mama at de chimney is roastin' de ham, An boilin' de couboulliion, and bakin' de yam. Wen out on de bayou, dey go such a clatter, Man, it soun' lak Gros Boudreaux don fall off a ladder.
Ah run lak a rabbit to get to de do', Trip on de dog and fall on de flo'. As ah look out de do' in de light of de moon, Ah tink, Man, you crazy, or you goin' be soon!
Cuz dere on de bayou, wen ah stretch mah neck stiff, Ah see eight alligator, and dey pullin' a skiff. Dem gator wuz swift, down de bayou dey came, As' de driver he holla and call dem by name:
"Haw, Comeaux!, Haw Boudreaux!, Fontenont and Alcide! Gee Phydeaux!, Gee Thibodeaux!, Alphonse and Pladide! To the top of de poch, to de top of de wall, Crawl up dere, Alligator, and be so' you don' fall!"
Lak dat up de poch de alligator dey climb, With a skiff full of playtings and Sait Nicklas behin'. Den on top ob de chimney ah hear a big "BAM!" When Sait Nicklas he fall "sit-first" on de yam.
"Sacre Bleu," he say, "Ah bet my pants got a hole, Where ah set dem down on dem big red-hot coal!" He wuz dress all in muskrat, from him head to him foot, An' his clos' is all cover wit ashes and soot.
A sack full of playtings he t'row on his back, He look lak a criminal, an' dat's fo' a fack! His eye how dey chine, his dimple how merry! His cheeck lak rad roses, his nose lak a cherry.
He have white hair on his chin, and a big fat belly, Dat shake wen he laff, lak de strawberry jelly. A wink ob his eye an' a shake ob his han', Ah gayrontee, ah lak dis fat man!
He don' do no talkin', an got rat to work, Put playtings in socks and den turn wit a jerk. He put bot' his han' on top ob his head, He look at de chimney, and den he done said:
"Wif all dat dere fire, and dem red hot yam, Ah don' go back up dat way again!" So he run out de do' and clime on de roof, He jump in his skiff, and he crack his big whip. Man, dem alligator, dey MOVE, and dey do not slip!
An ah hear him holla as down de bayou he go, "Merry Chrisma! Merry Chrisma!" till ah see him no mo'.
