“Jingle Bells”
‘We can’t sing so soon after eating,’ said Pa. ‘So I’ll just limber up the fiddle.’ Merrily he played, ‘Away Down the River on the O-hi-o!” And ‘Why Chime the Bells So Merrily.’ And, ‘Jingle bells, jingle bells, Jingle all the way!… — By the Shores of Silver Lake, Chapter 19, “Christmas Eve”
The sleigh bells were ringing, the sleigh runners squeaking on the hard-packed snow, and Laura was so happy that she had to sing… — These Happy Golden Years, Chapter 11, “Jingle Bells”
Words and Music to “Jingle Bells” were written in 1857 by James Pierpont for a Thanksgiving program at his church in Boston. It was so well received that it was again sung at Christmas. Music was first published by Oliver Ditson with the original title, “The One Horse Open Sleigh.” When the music was reprinted in 1859, it was given the title “Jingle Bells,” by which the song is best known. Although the song wasn’t a hit when first published, today it is a popular winter or Christmas songs.
James Pierpont (1822-1893) was born in Boston, the son of Unitarian pastor, John Pierpont, and his wife Mary Sheldon. In 1832, Pierpont was sent to boarding school in New Hampshire; at age 14, he ran away to sea. In the late 1840s, James married Millicent Cowee. He left his wife to open a business in San Francisco during the gold rush. His business failed when all his goods were destroyed in a fire.
In the early 1850s, James moved to Savannah, Georgia, to accept a position as organist and music director at his brother’s church. He also gave music and singing lessons. Following the death of his wife, James married Eliza Jane Purse, daughter of Savannah’s mayor. In 1857, Pierpont published several songs, including “The One Horse Open Sleigh.”
At the outbreak of the Civil War, Pierpont volunteered for the First Georgia Cavalry, serving as company clerk. During the War, he wrote music for the Confederacy, including “Our Battle Flag,” “Strike for the South,” and “We Conquer or Die.” Following the Civil War, he moved his family to Valdosta, Georgia. where he taught music. He later moved to Florida. James Pierpont died in Winter Haven in 1893; he was buried in Savannah.
Although “Jingle Bells” appears in two Little House books and is the title of a chapter in These Happy Golden Years, Laura Ingalls Wilder didn’t include the song in manuscripts for either By the Shores of Silver Lake or These Happy Golden Years, nor was it mentioned in any of the four Pioneer Girl manuscripts.
1. Dashing through the snow
In a one-horse open sleigh
Though the fields we go
Laughing all the way.
Bells on bob-tail ring
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight.
[chorus] Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way,
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh, O
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Jingle all the way,
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh.
2. A day or two ago
I thought I’d take a ride
And soon Miss Fanny Bright
Was seated by my side;
The horse was lean and lank
Misfortune seemed his lot,
We ran into a drifted bank
And there we got upsot.
3. A day or two ago
The story I must tell
I went out on the snow
And on my back I fell;
A gent was riding by
In a one-horse open sleigh
He laughed at me as
I sat there sprawling laid
But quickly drove away.
4. Now the ground is white,
Go it while you’re young,
Take the girls tonight
And sing this sleighing song.
Just get a bob-tailed bay,
Two-forty as his speed,
Hitch him to an open sleigh
And crack! You’ll take the lead.
JINGLE BELLS
(from By the Shores of Silver Lake)
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way!
Oh, what fun it is to ride,
In a one-horse open sleigh!
JINGLE BELLS (from These Happy Golden Years)
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way!
Oh, what fun it is to ride,
In a one-horse open sleigh!
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way!
CLICK HERE to listen.
Click on the above images to view a copy of 1857 sheet music of “The One Horse Open Sleigh.”
“Jingle Bells” (SSL 19; THGY 11)
“Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way”