Christmas songs hit the radio earlier every year and the words to Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You" are known to everyone who doesn't live under a rock, but the songs included in caroling books are often lesser known. It doesn't help that caroling always occurs at night, when it's often difficult to make out the words on the page.
Incase you're planning on going caroling this Christmas, here are some songs you may want to brush up on so you're not stuck humming along after the first verse.
1. Joy to the World
Most people can probably get through the first verse of this one, but if the group starts the second first, you can see panic on people's faces. And verse three? Let's hope it doesn't get that far.
2. It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
I'm going to be honest, I don't know a single word or note of this song, and yet it's always included in caroling outings. Why? The world will never know.
3. God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
4. We Three Kings of Orient Are
5. Angels We Have Heard on High
The only line of this song I know is "Gloria, in excelsis Deo." Are there other words? Perhaps. It's hard to tell.
6. Go Tell it on the Mountain
I feel like this is another song that people only know the chorus to. Maybe you can get away with humming the verses and signing the chorus loudly.
7. O Little Town of Bethlehem
The first verse of the song is pretty commonly known, but about a third of the way through verse two, voices trail off significantly.
If you get caught forgetting the words to these, take solace in the fact that "Silent Night," "The First Noel" or "Jingle Bells" are soon to follow with easy to remember words.
