‘Twas the night before Christmas, and it wouldn’t be drab
Cuz’ we’d scored some great acid and were dropping a tab;
We’d spread scented candles to perfume the air,
And rolled up a plateful of doobies to share;
While the squares of the world lay all snug in their beds,
Visions of sugar-plums danced in our heads;
My old lady was knitting a warm wooly cap,
And Trips, our cat, was taking a nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
In case it was narcs, I flew like a flash,
Closed up the shutters and hid all the hash.
The hits I had dropped were just kicking in
I watched the lights flash and the furniture spin,
When, what to my dilating pupils appeared,
But a Volkswagen van, full of mushrooms and beer,
With a little old driver, so lively and merry,
I knew in a moment it had to be Jerry.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;
“Now, Pigpen! now, Mickey! now, Bobby and Phil !
On, Janis! on Jimi! and our other drummer,
Bill!
Set up in the living room, in front of the wall!
Then jam away! jam away! jam away all!”
They tuned up their instruments and started to play,
each song that they started was as long as the day,
Then came a drum solo, especially long,
Jerry put down his guitar and lit up a bong.
And then, he drew in one last mighty toke
And disappeared from sight in a big cloud of smoke.
As I looked at my hand, and my fingers made trails,
Down the chimney came Jerry like an escapee from jail
He was dressed all in hemp, in a trippy new suit,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of hacky sacks flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His pupils were like saucers! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth said “I’ve brought you some blow”,
And on the table he threw a bag full of snow;
A stump of a hash pipe he held in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a diabetic elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And cut up some lines; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
He snorted a line and up his nostrils it rose;
He sprang up again with new jump in his step,
I’d never seen a hippy move with such pep.
As he left he exclaimed, from the van where he was,
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-buzz.”
