Krampusnacht - A Cautionary Carol Inspired by John Williams

▶ Spotify: (This song won’t be up for a little while, but you can listen to my other work here) ▶ Consider supporting the channel on Patreon: Joyous Yule, everyone! Krampusnacht was on December 5th, but it’s never too late to caution your children not to go wandering in the woods. This piece was inspired by “Double Trouble“, which was written by John Williams using Shakespeare’s words. I wrote the lyrics and tune for this as a sort of Christmasy companion piece, and called on my brother Friar Funk to add his countertenor voice to my choir. A bit of history about Krampus: Krampus is a goat-like horned character from Central and Eastern Alpine European folklore. As the bad cop to Saint Nicholas’s good cop, his name is invoked around Yuletide to scare children into behaving. On the night of December 5th, they visit each home, doling out gifts and punishment as they see fit. Well-behaved children receive toys and delicious goodies, while naughty children are punished with birch rods and given nothing but coal, or in some versions of the story, shoved into a sack or basket and carried away to hell. The Art: Krampus, depicted on an Austrian postcard, 1910. The Lyrics: Curling horn and cloven hoof Garnet red his tongue On his back, a leather sack For snatching up the young Sable fur and jagged claw Bronze his ringing bell Thin and quick, his birchwood stick For children who rebel Hoofprints in the snow To the woods we cannot go Krampusnacht is nigh Guard safe thy soul Lest he come and give thee coal Krampusnacht is nigh Light the hearth and turn the lock Sing a merry song He doth roam in darkened home Where shadows grow and throng Heed our warning, little ones Yuletide now is here Keep in line, for in the pines Is Krampus ever near. Hoofprints in the snow To the woods we cannot go Krampusnacht is nigh Guard safe thy soul Lest he come and give thee coal Krampusnacht is nigh To the woods we cannot go Krampusnacht is nigh Guard safe thy soul Lest he come and give thee coal Krampusnacht is nigh