In what’s called a “cumulative song,” The Twelve Days of Christmas recounts (in twelve verses) each of the gifts given to the singer by their “true love.” Chronologically, the gifts are: a partridge in a pear tree, two turtle doves, three French hens, four calling birds, five golden rings, six geese a-laying, seven swans a-swimming, eight maids a-milking, nine ladies dancing, ten lords a-leaping, eleven pipers piping, and twelve drummers drumming. Not to mention the skilled labor, that’s a grand total of 23 bird-themed gifts in the final verse alone.
The song began as a memory-and-forfeit game, meaning that it was meant to be sung in a group of children as a party game. Each child would take a turn singing a gift and the first to lose track or forget the words would have to give something up, like a kiss or candy. The exact origins of the song are unknown, but its earliest mention was in 1714, in the North of England, being “found on broadsides printed at Newcastle at various periods during the last hundred and fifty years.”
Lyrics
On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me
A partridge in a pear tree
On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree
On the third day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Three french hens
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree
On the fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Four colly birds
Three french hens
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree
On the fifth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Five gold rings
Four colly birds
Three french hens
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree
On the sixth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Six geese a-laying
Five gold rings
Four colly birds
Three french hens
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree
On the seventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five gold rings
Four colly birds
Three french hens
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree
On the eighth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five gold rings
Four colly birds
Three french hens
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree
On the ninth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five gold rings
Four colly birds
Three french hens
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree
On the tenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Ten lords a-leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five gold rings
Four colly birds
Three french hens
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree
On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Eleven pipers piping
Ten lords a-leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five gold rings
Four colly birds
Three french hens
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree
On the twelth day of Christmas my true love sent to me
Twelve drummers drumming
Eleven pipers piping
Ten lords a-leaping
Nine ladies dancing
Eight maids a-milking
Seven swans a-swimming
Six geese a-laying
Five gold rings
Four colly birds
Three french hens
Two turtle doves, and
A partridge in a pear tree