(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . 12 Songs of Christmas: Rudy [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-12-20 Rudy is another mawkish song, but that’s okay. Sincerity is often seen as mawkish, and the best of the values that the Christmas season purports to propagate are sincere. Good will to people and peace on Earth are not, at their core, held ironically. And this song by the Be Good Tanyas is certainly sincere in its reminder that not everyone benefits from the holiday cheer and not everyone has a life that lends itself to a Hallmark Christmas movie (though, honestly, more of those big city woman returning home to find love in a small town need ot be asking where their small town boyfriend was on January 6th.). It is beautifully song and arranged, and one of my favorites, even if it is not a happy song. Rudy lives on the borderline Between civilization and basic survival And the summertime treats him fairly well But the wintertime is a dirty cold rival It's wintertime now in Georgetown The streets come alive with the Christmas light And Rudy sleeps on a warm air grate With a newspaper blanket on December nights Deck the halls Rudolph the red-nosed wino Knows it's Christmas time Jingle Bells and Christmas shoppers Dashing through the snow God rest ye merry gentlemen Who've found it in your hearts To flip Rudy a thin And I'll be home for Christmas But this man has No place to go Christmas has a meaning at all The people of greed and incredible waste They seek the deeper meaning In the shopping mall In a yuletide spirit Of impatience and hate Rudy is a patient man Who tries to see the beauty in everything Yes, and not a very demanding soul Whose only wish is To live until the Spring Nobody knows the reasons why Things turn out Like the way they do And there ain't no one to tell you The reasons why There's fortunate folks Like me and you Rudy must have people somewhere Who wonder what Became of the man And Rudy must wonder The same damn thing As the crowd passes by And he sticks out his hand Deck the halls Rudolph the red-nosed wino Knows it's Christmas time Jingle Bells in the Christmas Shop Others dashing through the snow God rest ye merry gentlemen Who have found it in your hearts To flip Rudy a thin And I'll be home for Christmas But this man has No place to go Rudy died on the borderline Of a civilized world On Christmas Eve You know the shoppers shopped And the temperatures dropped On a man whose absence Won't be grieved Peace on the soul of the cop Who found him dead in a booth With his hand frozen to a telephone You know, I think I know Who he had on the line And Rudy won't spend This Christmas alone Deck the halls Rudolph the red-nosed wino Knows it's Christmas time Jingle Bells in the Christmas Shop Others dashing through the snow God rest ye merry gentlemen Who have found it in your hearts To flip Rudy a thin And I'll be home for Christmas And this year Rudy gets to go Yeah, I'll be home for Christmas And this year, Rudy gets to go [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/12/20/2211283/-12-Songs-of-Christmas-Rudy?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/