All the streets are filled with laughter and light
And the music of the season
And the merchants’ windows are all bright
With the faces of the children

And the families hurry into their homes
As the sky darkens and freezes
We’ll be gathering around our hearths and tables
Giving thanks for God’s graces

And the birth of the rebel Jesus
Oh, they call him by the Prince of Peace
And they call him by the Savior
And they pray to him upon the seas

And in every bold endeavor
And they fill his churches with their pride and gold
As their faith in him increases
But they’ve turned the nature that I worship in

From a temple to a robber’s den
In the words of the rebel Jesus
We guard our world with locks and guns
And we guard our fine possessions

And once a year when Christmas comes
We give to our relations
And perhaps we give a little to the poor
If the generosity should seize us

But if any one of us should interfere
In the business of why there are poor
We get the same as the rebel Jesus
But pardon me if I have seemed

To take the tone of judgment
For I’ve no wish to come between
This day and your enjoyment
In a life of hardship and of earthly toil

There’s a need for anything that frees us
So I bid you pleasure and I bid you cheer
From a heathen and a pagan
Who’s on the side of the rebel Jesus