Let’s start this with a song that’s not really a Christmas song, but fits enough that it’s worth mentioning.
mewithoutYou – A Stick, A Carrot & String (from It’s All Crazy, It’s All False, It’s All a Dream, It’s Alright)
Almost anyone that’s talked to me about music will have heard me talk about mewithoutYou. They’re tough to categorize, starting out as a bit of a screamo band, with the lead singer often yelling instead of screaming/singing. If you want a real history on the band, check Tooth & Nail’s Labeled podcast. The song itself is from an album that still features the singing/yelling but the instrumentation is much folkier and lighter than their first 3 records. The record contains songs about a Sufi myth (The Fox, the Crow & the Cookie), King David bartering with the Angel of Death, and even a song referring to God as Allah. (a rarity for a music label with the majority of its sales in a Christian market)
Now this song really tells the story of Jesus’ life, from birth through to death/resurrection, but given the intro and feel, it’s easy to lump it in with Christmas music. Given the band’s typical sound, it’s definitely out of place and fairly direct lyrically, especially when compared to Aaron Weiss’ penchant for telling odd stories. Verse 1 has animals at the manger foretelling Jesus’ life, Verse 3 brings it back to more a Christian story (“No clever thought, no gift to bring, requires our lowly, lovely King. Come you empty-handed you don’t need anything”) And the song ends with a lyric that has always stuck with me and simplified the Christian message.
“And the snake who held the world a stick, a carrot & a string, was crushed beneath the foot of your not wanting anything”
A lot of this blog will probably highlight cover version of songs, but with this one, it’s the original that’s really impacted me. Dustin Kensrue (lead singer of Thrice) included a cover of this on the re-release of his Christmas album, The Good Night is Still Everywhere. It’s ok, but the production quality is pretty poor and doesn’t differ too much from the original.