The joke's on the Christmas tree, New Year's is here
The king of the living room's out on his ear
You take back the gifts that you laid at his feet
And you drag the old tannebaum out to the street

We took back the star that he thought was his crown
We packed up in papers his bright-colored gown
The lights and the ornaments back on the shelf
His majesty now can take of himself

Chorus:
And it's nay, nay, nay never
Nay nay never no more
Shall he stay green forever
He's evergreen no more

In a ditch by the roadside he dies like a dog
What once was the Christmas tree now is a log
Broken brown branches half-buried in snow
Are bones of a hero one Christmas ago

Chorus

But if you look closely, it's easy to see
A tangle of tinsel is caught in the tree
That one badge of honour is all that remains
Of those glorious Christmas tree evergreen days

Chorus