The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot (1937)

  I stumbled on this song a few years back. Believe me little helpers, I've heard some depressing Christmas songs over the years, and this one is up there in my top 5 of all time for sure. It's not the king singing about a blue Christmas, or a soldier singing about their Christmas in Vietnam (trust me we'll get to that song some other time), it's a song about a boy who has no father that was forgotten by Santa! Ahhhhh...mazing!! And then you ask....how do I know he has no father? Well silly, it's mentioned in the song of course! I guess in 1937, while this country and the world was in the midst of the great depression, being forgotten by the one guy who shouldn't forget anyone wasn't enough. Gee guys while you're at it why not burn down this kid's house and condemn him to repeat this day over and over a la Groundhog's Day?
  Of course the Christmas ghoul in me finds such glee and delight in the sheer sadness of it. This poor kid hasn't been naughty, he was just so insignificant that Santa completely forgot to go by his home or orphanage or box car or whatever. I mean come on!!! Santa, the jolly old fat man who keeps track of all of the good boys and girls, Santa who has a massive city at the North Pole staffed with thousands of elves, helpers, mystical all seeing crystal balls and light up reindeer somehow missed this guy? And that's not to mention that he supposedly checks his list twice. Two list checks and this kid doesn't make the cut! It makes me wonder are their others Santa has missed? Are there thousands of children who have slipped through the yule cracks due to the North Pole's inefficiency? Maybe, just maybe there is a child army who vow vengeance on the man in the red suit! Or maybe Santa just decided he really didn't like the kid in this song and gets a kick out of his sadness. Who can say?
  According to Wikipedia - "The Little Boy that Santa Claus Forgot" is a 1937 song written by Michael Carr, Tommie Connor and Jimmy Leach; most notably performed by Vera Lynn. It is also known for the use of her version in the opening scene in the Pink Floyd film Pink Floyd—The Wall.
Other people who have recorded it include Johnny Adams, Billy Mackenzie, Elsie Carlisle, Nat King Cole, Natalie Cole, Billy Cotton, John Farnham, Alex Harvey, and Arthur Tracy. A portion of the song was sung by Jim Belushi in the 1996 film Jingle All the Way.
                                                    
Lyrics

He's the little boy
That Santa Clause forgot,
And goodness knows,
He didn't want a lot.

He sent a note to Santa
For some soldiers and a drum,
It broke his little heart
When he found Santa hadn't come.

In the street he envies
All those lucky boys,
Then wanders home
To last year's broken toys.
I'm so sorry for that laddie,
He hasn't got a daddy,
The little boy
That Santa Clause forgot.

Spoken:
(You know,
Christmas comes but once a year
For every girl and boy,
The laughter and the joy
They find in each brand new toy.
I'll tell you of a little boy
That lives across the way...
This little fella's
Christmas is just another day.
He's the little boy
That Santa Claus forgot,
And goodness knows,
He didn't want a lot.)

In the street
He envies all those lucky boys,
Then wanders home
To last year's broken toys.
I'm so sorry for that laddie,
He hasn't got a daddy,
The little boy
That Santa Clause forgot

 

So, there you have it Christmas fans. Stay tuned for more of my favorite Christmas things!

 

Unofficial video of the song, the Nat King Cole version