The original lyrics to 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas' were seriously dark

With Christmas just around the corner, it's no surprise festive tunes have officially taken over. No matter where you are or what time it is, there's no escaping the likes of Mariah Carey or Wham.

Now, most Christmas classics are upbeat and catchy – some are even said to boost productivity in the office. However, others have a much darker meaning that we're just finding out about now.

Take the original 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas', which has been played millions of times online.

The track was first sung back in 1944 by Judy Garland in the film Meet Me in St Louis, but there was a certain line that was changed after the Hollywood star suggested it didn't really fit the cheery festivities.

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas | Meet Me In St. Louis | Warner Archivewww.youtube.com

The original lyrics said: "Have yourself a merry little Christmas / It may be your last / Next year we may all be living in the past."

Songwriter Hugh Martin decided to rewrite the verse, telling Classic FM: "The [film producers] said, 'No, no - it's a sad scene, but we want sort of an upbeat song, which will make it even sadder if she's smiling through her tears'. Then we wrote the one you know in the movie."

The tune was then rewritten to the one Garland sings in the famed Hollywood classic, which now goes: "Someday soon we all will be together, if the fates allow.

"Until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow."

A later version by Frank Sinatra in 1999 sings: "Hang a shining star upon the highest bough."

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.