Closer.

THE SECRET SONG of the CHRISTMAS TREE

Step closer, please, and hear my song.

It won’t take long, it won’t take long.

I hold my secret in the frost

I keep my secret in the cold

I hold it tight; it can’t get lost:

A secret as shiny as gold.

Fly me high through winter air

Take me over freezing seas

Place me in the bright lights’ glare

Stand me in the icy breeze.

Step closer now and hear my tune

Lit by the beaming Christmas moon.

I had to go, I could not stay

Beneath the distant stars so high,

My secret hidden, locked away

As fragile as a sigh.

I’m here to stand as people stare

As babies point and parents smile

And magic fills the gleaming air

Crowds slow down and stand awhile.

Step closer, please, and hear my song.

It won’t take long, it won’t take long.

In a country far away

The light shone on the saw,

I felt unsteady, felt me sway

Crashed down to the floor.

But something happened as I fell

I felt some magic start to shift

Inside me like a secret spell

Like falling snow begins to drift.

Step closer now and hear my tune

Lit by the beaming Christmas moon.

In the corner of your watching eye

Here’s my secret: hard to prove.

My well-lit branches wave goodbye:

When nobody’s looking, I move.

I stroll around Trafalgar Square

Then quickly I am back in place.

But surely I was over there?

I see it in your face!

I am the mobile Christmas tree

My secret’s safe with you.

Step over here and you will see

I’m walking. Yes, it’s true!

Step closer, please, and hear my song.

It won’t take long, it won’t take long.

Ian McMillan