15 Unique Lyrics from Historic Variations of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”

Originally published in English in 1780, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” (referring to the 12 days following Christmas) is believed to have started in France as a children’s memory game. Each verse added increasingly extravagant gifts, challenging players to recall the growing list. As the carol gained popularity in the 19th century, numerous lyrical variations began to appear.

Certain distinctions persist in modern renditions: The classic “five gold rings” occasionally become “five golden rings,” and while some versions state “my true love gave to me,” others claim the gifts were “sent to me.” However, these minor variations pale in comparison to the unique gifts featured in earlier versions of the song.

1. “A Beautiful Peacock”

In 1892, Scottish poet and artist William Scott Bell recorded an early version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas.” While most of Bell’s lyrics align with the modern version, his rendition ended each verse with “a very pretty peacock upon a pear tree” instead of the familiar “partridge in a pear tree.”

2. “Four Canary Birds”

The 1780 original version refers to the “four calling birds” as “four colly birds.” The term colly, meaning “soot-black,” stems from an old English dialect word. By the mid-1800s, colly had become obsolete, prompting Victorian versions of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” to introduce alternatives like “colour’d birds,” “curley birds,” and even “four canary birds.” The now-familiar “four calling birds” emerged in the early 20th century.

3. and 4. “Eight Hares A-Running” and “Eleven Badgers Baiting”

In 1869, an English magazine, The Cliftonian, featured an article detailing a traditional Christmas in Gloucestershire, southwest England. The author recounted hearing local carolers perform a peculiar Christmas song, noting its “bizarre and utterly absurd lyrics.” After describing the first two days of “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” he explained that the carol escalates until the twelfth day, when the young lady receives an “astonishing tribute of true love,” including “eight hares a-running” and “eleven badgers baiting.”

5., 6., 7., and 8. “Seven Squabs A-Swimming,” “Eight Hounds A-Running,” “Nine Bears A-Beating,” and “Ten Cocks A-Crowing”

One of the earliest American versions of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” was documented in The American Journal of Folklore in 1900. Attributed to a contributor from Salem, Massachusetts, and dated to “around 1800,” this version omits pipers, drummers, maids, and swans (with lords and ladies undergoing a numerical change). Instead, it features “ten cocks a-crowing,” “nine bears a-beating,” “eight hounds a-running,” and “seven squabs a-swimming.”

9., 10., and 11. “Ten Asses Racing,” “Eleven Bulls A-Beating,” and “Part of a Mistletoe Bough”

A 1911 version of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” from Folk Songs From Somerset replaced “pipers piping” and “lords a-leaping” with “eleven bulls a-beating” and “ten asses racing.” Even the iconic partridge in the pear tree was swapped out for “part of a mistletoe bough.”

12. and 13. “Ten Ships A-Sailing” and “Eleven Ladies Spinning”

An 1842 edition of Specimens of Lyric Poetry replaced “ten drummers drumming” and “eleven lords a-leaping” (reduced to nine lords, still a-leaping) with “ten ships a-sailing” and “eleven ladies spinning.” Additionally, a footnote in this edition suggested how the song might have been used: “Each child repeats the gifts of the day in turn, forfeiting for every error. The cumulative nature of the song is particularly beloved by children.”

14. and 15. “A Bull That Was Brown” and “An Arabian Baboon”

A Scottish variation of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” was documented in the early 19th century and later included in the 1847 collection Popular Rhymes of Scotland. While this version shares some similarities with the modern rendition (such as “ducks a-merry laying” and “swans a-merry swimming”), much of it diverges significantly. The song begins with “The king sent his lady on the first Yule day,” and many gifts are presented in groups of three rather than a 12-part sequence. Among the unusual gifts are “a bull that was brown,” “a goose that was gray,” “three plovers,” “a papingo-aye” (an old Scots term for a parrot, sometimes interpreted as a peacock), and, most unexpectedly, “an Arabian baboon.”