From “The World” newspaper, 1916
Words and music by Irving Berlin
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
Soon he’ll be coming down the chim’ny
With a bag on his back
Where he carries a pack of
I don’t have to tell you what
Soon every kid’ll holler “Jim’ny”
If mister Santa Claus forgets to pause
And leave them this or that
Chorus
So, you’d better be good
Just like a good baby should
Or he will fly right by
To another neighborhood
He don’t give his toys
To bad little boys or bad little girls
That’s understood
So, don’t act like a fool
And don’t play hooky from school
If you’re forgotten, you’ll know the cause
If you do anything that’s shocking
You’ll find an empty stocking
And you’ll say, where is it
You won’t get a visit from Santa Claus