By Michael Baginski/ Robert Earl Keen may not be as famous as his old college roommate Lyle Lovett, but he’s no less accomplished. A consummate storyteller, the Texas troubadour suitably has a keen sense of humour, as evidenced by his holiday classic, “Merry Christmas from the Family.”
To be sure, Keen’s effort is not a typical Christmas song, unless you know others that begin, “Mom got drunk and Dad got drunk, at our Christmas party…”
Bubbling with Texas humour, the song is often described by fans as capturing the true essence of the holiday, shared with quirky, sometimes annoying family – “Fred and Rita drove from Harlingen/ I can’t remember how I’m kin to them/ But when they tried to plug their motor home in/ They blew our Christmas lights” – but family none the less.
For a similarly amusing take on his Keen’s college days at Texas A&M with Lovett, check out “The Front Porch Song,” and don’t miss his signature fan favourite singalong, “The Road Goes on Forever.”
Full disclosure: We ran this song about five years ago, but it’s a classic, and, in our tradition of trying to have a little fun at this time of year, Merry Christmas from our “family.”
Lyrics
Mom got drunk and Dad got drunk
At our Christmas party
We were drinking champagne punch
And homemade egg-nog
Little sister brought her new boyfriend
He was a Mexican
We didn’t know what to think of him
‘Til he sang ‘Feliz Navidad, Feliz Navidad’
Brother Ken brought his kids with him
The three from his first wife Lynn
And the two identical twins
From his second wife Mary Nell
Of course he brought his new wife Kay
Who talks all about AA
Chain smoking while the stereo plays
‘Noel, Noel, The First Noel’
Carve the Turkey, turn the ball game on
Mix margaritas when the egg-nog’s gone
Send somebody to the Quickpak Store
We need some ice and an extension chord
A can of bean dip and some Diet Rites
A box of tampons and some Marlboro Lights
Hallelujah, everybody say, “Cheese”
Merry Christmas from the family
Fred and Rita drove from Harlingen
I can’t remember how I’m kin to them
But when they tried to plug their motor home in
They blew our Christmas lights
Cousin David knew just what went wrong
So we all waited out on our front lawn
He threw the breaker and the lights came on
And we sang ‘Silent Night, oh Silent Night’
Carve the turkey, turn the ball game on
Make Bloody Mary’s ’cause we all want one
Send somebody to the Stop ‘N Go
We need some celery and a can of fake snow
A bag of lemons and some Diet Sprites
A box of tampons and some Salem Lights
Hallelujah, everybody say, “Cheese”
Merry Christmas from the family
Feliz Navidad