Christmas Carols
Christmas Dragnet Lyrics
(Stan Freberg)
This is the season.
My name's Wednesday.
My
partner's Frank Jones.
The Chief's name is Captain Kellogg.
December
the 24th, Christmas Eve.
They brought in a guy named 'Grudge'.
When I
heard what they booked him on, my blood ran cold.
It was a 4096325- 096704:
not believing in Santa Claus.
4:35 p.m.
I was working the holiday
watch out of homicide with Frank.
"Hang up your stocking yet,
Joe?"
"Yeah, just before I come down. You too Frank?"
"Alway do.
Hung it up early just in case I have'ta work late tonight.
Wouldn't wanna
miss out on when Santa Claus comes you know. "
"Sure wouldn't, be a
shame."
"Whatcha gonna do tomorrow, Joe?
Whatcha gonna do on
Christmas, got any plans?"
"Nothin' much."
"Why don't you come by
the house Joe?
We're gonna have Christmas dinner.
You know, all the
trimmings:
turkey, celery stuffing, oysters maybe.
Chestnuts, all the
trimmings, you know.
Cranberry sauce, love'ta have ya.
The Missus always
fixes a plate of relish
with them little carrot sticks.
You know, olives,
pickles, scallions.
Most people call them green onions, but they're really
scallions.
Did you ever notice that Joe?"
"Notice what
Frank?"
"How most people call them green onions but they're really
scallions."
"Uh-huh. Scallions."
"Anytime after two, Joe. Love ta
have ya."
"Uh-huh. Well I'll see."
"Love ta have
ya."
"Uh-huh. Well, I'll see."
"Love ta have ya."
"Uh-huh.
Well, I'll see."
"Missus always fixes a plate of relish with them little
carrot sticks.
You know - olives, pickles, scallions."
"Uh-huh. Let's
not go through that again."
"Go through what, Joe?"
"How most
people call them green onions but they're really scallions."
"Oh, you
noticed that too, huh Joe?"
Homicide; Wednesday.
"Uh-huh,
uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh."
"'s matter Joe? 's matter
Joe?"
"Bringing a guy in on a 409635-096704:
guy don't believe in
scallions, I mean Santa Claus."
6:29 p.m.
We questioned the guy didn't
believe in Santa Claus.
Guy named Grudge.
"Says here you're name's
Grudge, that right?"
"Yeah!"
"Says here you didn't believe in
Santa Claus.
Hard to believe what you said, did you really say
that?"
"Sure I said it. How do you know there's a Santa Claus?
Ya got
a picture of him?"
"No, no mug shots."
"Any
fingerprints?"
"Uh-uh, no latent prints. I just know, that's all.
Like
saying there's no Easter bunny."
"That's another guy there ain't no
of."
"What's your story, Mister?"
"Joe, he just said that to make
me feel bad, didn't he?
There really is an Easter bunny, isn't there
Joe?"
"Listen Grudge, didn't I pick you up three years ago
on a 1492;
for not believing in Columbus?"
"Yeah! I don't believe in Cleveland or
Cincinatti either."
"How about Toledo?"
"I ain't made up my mind
yet about Toledo."
"O.K. Mister. I get the picture now.
You don't
believe in nothin' - do ya?"
"Nothin'! And you wanna know somethin'
else?"
"What's that?"
"I'm gonna get up and walk right out of this
room
'cause you guys ain't got nothin' on me.
There ain't no law against
not believin' in Santa Claus."
"There is in my book. Let me tell you
somethin' Mister.
I'm gonna prove there's a Santa Claus if it takes me
all night."
"Huh! Pretty funny. The police department's got
nothin
ta do."
"Let me straighten you out buddy; this one's on
Frank and me,
right Frank?
Right Frank?"
"There really is an Easter bunny, isn't
there Joe?
You know, hippity hopping down the bunny trail?"
I took
Grudge over to the helicopter.
Got in, flew around the city for
hours.
I showed him department stores.
"What's hurryin' in and out of
those department stores, Grudge?"
"Happy people, but I ain't
impressed."
I showed him stockings.
"How are those stockings hung,
Grudge?"
"By the chimney with care; but I didn't hang none up."
I
showed him children nestled all snug in their beds.
"What's dancing in their
heads, Grudge?"
"Visions of sugar plums, but you ain't sellin'
me.
There ain't no Santa Claus."
He still didn't believe.
There was
only one thing left to do.
My job? Get to the North Pole.
I set the plane
down, we walked over to
Santy's workshop, rang the bell.
"Pardon me,
sir?
Can I ask you a few questions?"
"Why sure. Just tickle me to
death."
"What do you do for a living?"
"I'm a
Brownie."
"What are you doing at the North Pole
with a southern
accent?"
"Well, the boss sorta ran short of help
this year, so he had
to recruit a few of
us Brownies from the South Pole."
"Uh-huh. That
figures."
"What a waste of time!"
"Could we talk to your boss,
please?"
"Oh, he's out. You would have to come on
the one night he's
out on the whole year."
"What's your particular job, Mr.
Brownie?"
"My boss has eight tiny reindeer. My job - feed
'em."
"Yes sir. What do 'ya feed 'em?"
"Well, most times I fix up
a little plate of relish:
olives, pickles and them little carrot
sticks.
You know, them little ol' carrot
sticks?"
"Uh-huh."
"And scallions."
"Most folks call them
green onions, but
they're really scallions."
"How do you
know?"
"Just a stab in the dark."
The little man showed us through
the workshop.
"My boss'll be back for a second load pretty soon.
Say,
would you all like to hear an interestin' story?"
"Yes, sir."
"Do
you see that HUGE pile of presents over there?"
"Uh-huh."
"Man,
look at all that stuff."
"Would you believe it?
They're all for the
same man.
Been pilin' up here, year after year."
"Why didn't they guy
ever get 'em?"
"Yeah! Why?"
"'Cause he didn't believe in my
boss.
You know the rules."
"Uh-huh. We know."
"I don't suppose
that there's no chance
that this guy can still ...?"
"Get the
presents? Oh sure.
He gets them all the minute he believes.
But I don't
suppose he ever will."
"Too bad about that guy.
What's his
name?"
"Don't say it. I don't want to hear it."
"Come on, Mr.
Brownie.
What's his name?"
"His name? Grudge."
The Brownie saw
us to the door.
Wished us a Merry Christmas.
We were heading back to the
plane
when it happened.
"Hey!"
"Yeah, Grudge?"
"You know
that guy I said I didn't believe in?"
"Who's that?"
"S-S-S-Santy
Claus?"
"Yes, sir?"
"You think I'm too old to change my
mind?"
"You're never too old, Mr. Grudge."
"Well then, I-I believe
in Santy Claus.
And Columbus."
"How about Cincinatti.
And
Cleveland.
And the Easter Bunny?"
"Yeah, them too."
"And
Toledo?"
"I-I still ain't made up my mind about Toledo."
"Look
Grudge. Up in the sky.
He's coming back for the second load."
"It's
Santy Claus! It's Santy Claus!"
"There's the only guy I know can
make
everybody happy in one night."
"Yeah. He must have the biggest
heart
in the whole world."
"Yeah. That's about the size of it!"