Roger Pires Dec 24, 2009
When he's not offering his take on daily life, Roger Pires spends his days as a computer systems analyst. It's not exactly a glamorous calling but hey, it pays the bills. He enjoys hockey, canoeing, snowshoeing, and spending as much time as he possibly can outdoors. He lives in Udora with his wife and two kids, who are his prime inspiration for Ravenshoe Ramblings.
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The Little Drummer Boy
I first heard Bob Seger’s version of The Little Drummer Boy at a friend’s Christmas party. The carol had always been one of my favourites but this new version was unlike anything I’d ever heard. There was an urgency in Seger’s gruff baritone, a subtle power in the way he conveyed a simple but enduring Christmas story:
“Come”, they told me, pa-ruppa-pum-pum
A newborn King to see, pa-ruppa-pum-pum
Our finest gifts we bring, pa-ruppa-pum-pum
To set before the King, pa-ruppa-pum-pum.
When Katherine K. Davis wrote the words and music in 1941, she based them on a traditional Czech song, Carol of the Drum. The lyrics told of a poor young boy who was called to witness the birth of Jesus.
The Trapp Family Singers (of The Sound of Music fame) performed a version of Carol of the Drum prior to their 1955 retirement. Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby have both sung versions of The Little Drummer Boy. Boney M, Joan Jett and even The Brady Bunch have attempted it. The latest to throw his hat in the ring is Bob Dylan who covers the tune on this year’s Christmas in the Heart. The song has been recorded in French by Nan Mouskouri (“L’enfant en Tambour”) and in German by Marlene Dietrich (“Der Trommelmann”). In Italian, it’s known as “Il Piccolo Tamburino” and the Icelandic version is entitled “Litli Trommuleikarinn”. In 1977, David Bowie joined Crosby for an unlikely duet version of the song. The pairing of Ziggy Stardust and the velvet-voiced Bing remains one of the most popular renditions of the carol.
But it’s Seger’s passionate account of innocence and humility that remains my favourite:
Little Baby, pa-ruppa-pum-pum
I am a poor boy too, pa-ruppa-pum-pum
I have no gift to bring, pa-ruppa-pum-pum
That’s fit to give the King, pa-ruppa-pum-pum.
As we elbow our way through the discount bins, we sometimes forget why we celebrate this joyous holiday. It’s truest, deepest meaning isn’t found in a gift certificate or the electronics section. It’s found in the heart:
I played my drum for Him, pa-ruppa-pum-pum
I played my best for Him, pa-ruppa-pum-pum.
The first Christmas carol I throw in the CD player every year is The Little Drummer Boy by Bob Seger. And I listen to a treasured tale of Christmas – about a poor boy who gave everything he had to another poor boy who would give so much more:
Then he smiled at me, pa-ruppa-pum-pum
Me and my drum.
