The Little Drummer Boy

When I was a kid I thought "The Little Drummer Boy" was a dumb song.  That's because I could never get past all the rum pum pum pumming stuff to really listen and ponder the words.  I hated singing all of those stupid, fabricated drum noises.  Get a real drum was what I usually thought when I had to sing this song or be subjected to listening to it.  Better yet, let the Cavaliers drum line record it.  That would be awesome!

Moving along... 

Things changed as I got older and really started listening to the words.  The day came when I was driving down the road by myself when the words hit me with an impact similar to the deer who ran straight into the side of our van a couple of years ago.  It did almost as much damage to my idiotic, juvenile thinking as the deer did to the front quarter panel too.  Suddenly, "The Little Drummer Boy" wasn't such a stupid song anymore.  I had gotten past all the fabricated drum sounds and really listened to the words. I couldn't wait to hear it again.  And when I did, the floodgates opened.

The idea that when we give our best to Jesus, no matter how small our gift may be, how old we are or whether or not we have the proper education is a concept that becomes more and more foreign in our materialistic society.  We are driven by the biggest and best and sometimes it becomes an excuse not to do what God wants us to do.  We say, "I'll do that when I finish my degree, when I have more money in the 401k, when I'm older, wiser, when the kids are on their own, etc."  Meanwhile we are missing opportunities to bless and be blessed.  

We are missing opportunities to honor God with our obedience. 

I believe that God is most pleased when we use the gifts and talents He has given us to accomplish His will in our lives.  I believe that He uses us to touch other people's lives as well.  So when we use the talent(s) He has given us, we allow Him to work in our lives and sometimes even in the lives of other people.  Our willingness to do His will through using our gifts, is a powerful concept.  The little drummer boy offered to Jesus, the only gift he had; that of His music.

God has blessed us all with gifts and talents.  What gift has He blessed you with that you are willing to use to for His glory?  

Little Drummer Boy
by: Katherine K. Davis, Henry Onorati and Harry Simeone in 1958

Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum
A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum
Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum
To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
So to honor Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
When we come.

Baby Gesu, pa rum pum pum pum
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum
That's fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum,
On my drum?


Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum
The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum
I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum,
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,
Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum
Me and my drum.

There are lots of recorded versions of this song.  The one by the Harry Simeone Choir is the classic and probably the best of all of them.  However, there are also a couple of acapella versions that are quite fitting with the simplicity of this song.


Here's Chicago, with an awesome, rockier version of the song.  It was recorded somewhere in the late 90's.