I stopped by the shopping mall yesterday night

Just an hour north of Atlanta

And all of the families were gathering there

Standing in line to see Santa



With fake plastic reindeer and fake plastic snow

And Christmas songs playing too loud

I walked down a hallway just off to the side

Safely away from the crowd



To the old Christian bookstore, all quiet and still

Where its annual nativity scene is

Everyone came here to see Santa Claus

But nobody came to see Jesus



They came to see Rudolph

Shirts twenty percent off

They came to see lights

Strung up on big trees cut down in their prime

They came to eat snow cones

Upgrade to new cell phones

I guess they know how to draw a big crowd this Christmas season

Because they put all the things out that please us

But nobody came to see Jesus



My little savior asleep on the hay

With Joseph and Mary beside Him

The pride of a new mama shined in her eyes

From the sweet tears of joy she'd been crying



Instead of some reindeer, a donkey and sheep

But that didn't matter to her

Instead of some green elves, three wisest of men

With gold, silver, frankincense, myrrh



And down at my pant leg, a real little boy

Who'd wandered away from the crowd

He say, "Mister, who's that there asleep on the hay?"

I said, "Son, that's the Man that Christmas is really about,

But there's just you and me here to see this.

Because nobody came to see Jesus."



They came to see Rudolph

Shirts twenty percent off

They came to see lights

Strung up on big trees cut down in their prime

They came to eat snow cones

Upgrade to new cell phones

I guess they know how to draw a big crowd this Christmas season

Because they put all the things out that please us

But nobody came to see Jesus