We'll Have To Muddle Through Somehow

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light
From now on our troubles will be out of sight
Have yourself a merry little Christmas, make the Yule-tide gay,
From now on, our troubles will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days, happy golden days of yore
Faithful friends who are dear to us, gather near to us once more

Through the years we all will be together, If the Lord allows
Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow
And have yourself a merry little Christmas now 


Confession: my favorite line of that old Christmas song is perhaps the saddest: 'until then we'll have to muddle through somehow.' True, many people sing the song with the line changed to 'hang a shining star upon the highest bough', a more happy, glimmering image. However I love the hopeful acceptance of the original line: the singer confidently says that 'we all will be together', adds, 'if the Lord (or Fates in some versions) allows', then sighs and says the 'until then' verse. It's a wistful line, yet it's hopeful too. In fact maybe it's not so sad after all.

Muddle means mixed-up, confused, bumbled, jumbled. Because it's a Christmas song, when I hear the line I get the mental image of someone trudging through snow. The flakes are swirling around his face so that he can't see very far ahead of him. The snow is up to his knees, even up to his waist in parts, but still he keeps on going, keeps moving forward. Because through all the blinding flurry he sees a light ahead of him. He's not sure where he is, he's a little lost and a little confused, muddled, but he sees the light and he keeps going because he knows. He knows that his loved ones are going to meet him there, and in the moments of strongest clarity and conviction, his heart is light. It doesn't matter that he's muddling his way through the storm. He keeps going. That's what matters.


That's what I 'see' when I hear the song, and that's why I love that line.


It's a song with an interesting history. It was originally written for the movie 'Meet Me In St. Louis', a musical with Judy Garland. The original lyrics bounced even more distinctly between hope and sadness:

Have yourself a merry little Christmas, it may be your last,
Next year we may all be living in the past
Have yourself a merry little Christmas, pop that champagne cork,
Next year we will all be living in New York.

No good times like the olden days, happy golden days of yore,
Faithful friends who were dear to us, will be near to us no more.

But at least we all will be together, if the Fates allow,
From now on we'll have to muddle through somehow.
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

Apparently Garland and others were concerned that the lyrics were too depressing in places, convincing author Hugh Martin, with some difficulty, to modify the lyrics. Garland's haunting rendition of the song in the film became an instant classic. Later, Frank Sinatra also recorded the song to great success, and it was he who insisted that the 'muddle through' line be changed to 'hang a shining star upon the highest bough'. Since then, dozens of artists have recorded that song using either line they preferred.


Either way, it's a tune that is so familiar one hardly stops to think about the lyrics when it plays on the radio. It's short and sweet, both haunting and comforting. When the shops and DJ's stop playing the song after the Christmas season, we'll have to muddle through, somehow, until we hear those hopeful notes once more.