My dad used to raise turkeys for Christmas
And about a week before he'd take them into town
He always kept ther biggest one 'specially for us
And mom'd cook it till it was golden brown.

One year he brought the usual batch home
Just hatched with a lot of growing to do
There was one awful skinny like he put in my care
He never figured he'd pull through.

I named him Henry and with a young boys touch
I finally got him to grow
Now I knowed what'd happen if he'd growed to much
I remember, I used to tell him so.

Henry you're growing a-way to fast
Dad's got his eye on you
And Christmas day is goin' to be you last
Eating the way you do.

Course I never thought about the one dad sold
How they'd end up in the oven too
But I'd seen what happened when the ones he'd chose
And what him and that axe could do.

Early one morning dad took 'em to town
And sure enough Henry was left
And by Christmas eve the way I moped around
They all knew how bad I felt.

After supper dad left the house
And everything was quiet exceptn' the old hall clock
It was a long, long wait (tic tock, tic tock,. tic tock, tic tock, tic)
Then we jumped straight up when the axe hit that choppin' block.

We shot out the back door to where dad was
All of us a-runnin' around
And dad just stood there grinnin' at us
Then we heared a goblin sound.

No, we didn't have turkey that Christmas day
But that was alright with us
And there weren't a one of us
Who didn't want ot that way.

And you know Henry had a Merry Christmas...