Around the holiday season, Christmas music is everywhere. Among the thousands of Christmas songs and hymns, one of my all-time favorites is “The Little Drummer Boy.” Some of this is due to the TV special The Little Drummer Boy (more than that later) being one of the very few kids’ movies in my home growing up. But as I grew up and learned more about why Jesus came at Christmas, the more I fell in love with “The Little Drummer Boy.”
The song tells of a little boy, often assumed to be a shepherd, coming to the manger where Jesus is born. With nothing to give the newborn king, he plays a rhythm on his drum. I’ve seen a few holiday memes that joke that only a child would think a drum solo would be a gift for a newborn baby. Because we all know that is the last thing a baby and new mother want to hear.
But there is something so sweet in the lyrics of the song. A humility and something that reminds each of us that we come to Jesus with nothing. That even with empty pockets and just the drum on our shoulders, we can praise Jesus and be accepted into his presence. Russell Moore put it this way, “banging my drums the best I can, thinking that I need to be found worthy on the basis of my gifts… That baby actually sees you, already knows you, while you were yet a sinner offered himself up to die for you, to be born for you. You don’t need the drum.”
But what do we know about the song “The Little Drummer Boy”? Where did it come from before it became a Christmas classic or the name of a Christmas Tour by For King and Country?
“The Little Drummer Boy” was first recognized as a hymn called “Carol of the Drum” by Katherine Davis in 1941. Katherine K. Davis was a music teacher for a time at Wellesley College, Concord Academy, and Shady Hill School for Girls in Philadelphia. She also composed over 800 musical arrangements before she died in 1980.
Katherine K. Davis’s composition was originally an arrangement for a cappella choir, with the bass singers providing the sound and beat of the drums.
In 1957, Jack Holloran released an altered version of Katherine K. Davis’s song “Carol of the Drums,” much like the version of “The Little Drummer Boy” we hear today. In 1958, Henry Ororati and Harry Simone released a similar version to Jack Holloran’s, entitled “Sing We Now of Christmas,” which was later retitled “The Little Drummer Boy.” Henry Ororati, Harry Simone, and Katherine K. Davis are credited as the songwriters behind “The Little Drummer Boy.”
While there are a lot of details about the birth of Jesus, there is no mention of a little drummer boy in scripture.
Much of the birth of Jesus comes from Matthew and Luke’s gospels.
In Matthew, there is no mention of shepherds visiting Jesus at the time of his birth. But in Luke 2:8-20, we are given an account of shepherds.
“And shepherds were in the fields nearby, watching their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shown around them, and they were terrified.” (Luke 2:8-9)
After the shepherds are given the news of the Messiah’s birth in Bethlehem, they go to find this baby “wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12). They go and find things just as the Angel had said. Scripture itself doesn’t say that the shepherds played any music for Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus, but that they "spread the word concerning what (they) had been told them about this child (Luke 2:17) and then that “the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, as they had been told” (Luke 2:20).
But could one of the shepherds have had a drum?
A Jewish Bible Quarterly article by Jonathan L. Friedmann notes, “Since ancient times, shepherds have made music to calm their flocks, scare off predators, communicate with other shepherds, and pass the time. Three standard shepherd’s instruments are attested in the Bible: lyre (kinnor), flute (ugav), and Bovidae horn (shofar).” But drums are not listed.
Drums were more often used during worship and festivals in biblical times. Pastor Duke Tabor says, "The sound of drums was associated with celebrating, singing, and dancing before God. The steady beats reflect an outpouring of joy and thanksgiving for God’s blessings and victories.”
While drums are considered one of the first instruments made, having a little drummer boy at the nativity scene seems like stretching the imagination.
In Michael Foley’s book Why We Kiss Under the Mistletoe, he records that Katherine Davis drew her inspiration for what became “The Little Drummer Boy” from the song “Patapan.” Foley explains, “‘Patapan’ is a French Christmas Carol about shepherds playing their instruments for infant Jesus.” The word “patapan” was to imitate the sound of drums. As she was drowsing off, Katherine came up with the rhythm “rum-pa-pa-pum" and developed the song we now know as "The Little Drummer Boy."
Another possible inspiration is a traditional Czech carol known as the Rocking Song or “Hajej, nynjej,” translated by Percy Dreamer in The Oxford Book of Carols in 1928 as “Little Jesus, Sweetly Sleep.” Patrizia Barrera reports in Christmas Carols in Old America that the song was collected several years earlier by a woman named Miss Jacubickova (more information about her, including her first name, does not appear in the records).
Loosely translated, the first verse of "Hajej, nynjej" says:
Come, now, Jesus, Jesus,
We’ll lend you a goat,
We’ll rock you so that you can sleep well,
Come, now Jesus, let’s go to sleep.
The Austrian von Trapp Family singers of Sound of Music fame were among the first to record “The Carol of the Drum.” It appeared on their 1951 album Christmas Trapp Family Singers, which caused the song to gain popularity in the United States.
After the release of Henry Ororati and Henry Simeone’s version of “The Little Drummer Boy” in 1958, the song remained one of the top Christmas hits for the next four years.
Many artists have recorded this beloved Christmas tune, such as Chet Atkins, Joan Baez, Johnny Cash, Johnny Mathis, Roger Whittaker, and a well-known duet between Bing Crosby and David Bowie on a 1977 TV special. Ringo Starr, Bob Seger, and Justin Bieber with Busta Rhymes have their renditions of this song.
Most recently it has been covered by Jadon Lavik, the Pentatonix, and For King and Country.
This classic Christmas song has been used periodically in Christmas TV specials or movies, alongside many other Christmas songs we love. Some have made it a basis for their story.
In 1968, Rankin/Bass produced a stop-motion movie based on the popular Christmas song. Written by Romeo Muller, “The Little Drummer Boy” was an instant classic. It is often paired with other Rankin-Bass Christmas classics “Frosty the Snowman” and “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.”
In 2011, Big Idea Productions released a Veggie Tales version of the Rankin/Bass movie as their sixth Christmas special, “The Little Drummer Boy.”
While we don’t have historical or biblical evidence of a drummer boy at the nativity scene, this Christmas song tells us a lot about our hearts regarding Christmas.
If we really look at the story behind the song, the Little Drummer Boy is traveling with the Three Magi or Wise Men to present gifts to a newborn king. Remember that the Magi brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh, precious gifts to give a king. Meanwhile, the Little Drummer Boy has nothing to give this king.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
We all come to Jesus with nothing that can save us from the separation from God and the sin that affects and influences us daily. Even the sacrificial system of the Old Testament had to be repeated many times because it wasn’t sufficient to pay the cost of our sins.
This is why Jesus was born in a manger in Bethlehem over two thousand years ago. There is no tangible gift we can bring or thing we can do to save ourselves. God knew this from the beginning.
But when we recognize that we have nothing of value to give the King of King, we choose to recognize and honor the who of the Christmas story just like the Little Drummer Boy did. This is what brings a welcoming and loving smile to Jesus’ face.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/dejankrsmanovic
You can find out more about Valerie, her books, and her blog at www.valeriefentress.com.
This article is part of our larger Christmas and Advent resource library centered around the events leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ. We hope these articles help you understand the meaning and story behind important Christian holidays and dates and encourage you as you take time to reflect on all that God has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ!
What Is Advent: Meaning, History, and Traditions
Advent Prayers for Friends, Family, and More
What Is an Advent Wreath and How to Use One?
The History of Santa Claus: Origin of St. Nicholas
Christmas Bible Verses & Scripture Story
What is Christmas? True Meaning and Holiday History
Christmas Eve History and Traditions
Why Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh?
When Was Jesus Born? Why December 25th
Where Was Jesus Born?