Uploaded November 2011 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
"Presents For Christmas" is a song written by Solomon Burke.
Solomon Burke (March 21, 1940 – October 10, 2010) was an American recording artist and vocalist, who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues as one of the founding fathers of soul music in the 1960's and a "key transitional figure in the development of soul music from rhythm and blues. He had a string of hits including "Cry to Me", "If You Need Me", "Got to Get You Off My Mind", "Down in the Valley" and "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love". Burke was referred to as "King Solomon", the "King of Rock 'n' Soul", "Bishop of Soul" and the "Muhammad Ali of soul". Due to his minimal chart success in comparison to other soul music greats such as James Brown, Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding, Burke has been described as the genre's "most unfairly overlooked singer" of its golden age. Atlantic Records executive Jerry Wexler referred to Burke as "the greatest male soul singer of all time".
Burke's most famous recordings, which spanned five years in the early 1960s, bridged the gap between mainstream R&B and grittier R&B.[9] Burke was "a singer whose smooth, powerful articulation and mingling of sacred and profane themes helped define soul music in the early 1960s." He drew from his roots – gospel, jazz, country and blues – as well as developing his own style at a time when R&B, and rock were both still in their infancy. Described as both "Rabelaisian" and also as a "spiritual enigma, "perhaps more than any other artist, the ample figure of Solomon Burke symbolized the ways that spirituality and commerce, ecstasy and entertainment, sex and salvation, individualism and brotherhood, could blend in the world of 1960s soul music."
During the 55 years that he performed professionally, Burke released 38 studio albums on at least 17 record labels and had 35 singles that charted in the US, including 26 singles that made the Billboard R&B charts. In 2001, Burke was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a performer. His album Don't Give Up on Me won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 45th Grammy Awards in 2003. By 2005 Burke was credited with selling 17 million albums. Rolling Stone ranked Burke as no. 89 on its 2008 list of "100 Greatest Singers of All Time."
Oh this is gonna be a groove for me
It's gonna be a little something different
But we're gonna give it to them anyway
Are you ready? Come on... ha!
We want to give out a present to everyone this Christmas
All around the world for every man, woman, boy and girl
Are you ready right now, come on here we go
Aaa I like it like that, come on that's it
Alright come on
Christmas present around the world
Is something mighty sweet to see
If only I just had a present for everyone
Under one great big Christmas tree
For ever boy that wants a brand new toy
For every Johnny that wants a car
For every junior that wants a mobile bike
Rides and a rides and rides
Now my little daughter
She wants a doll that cries
One that walks and wipes it's eyes
And I see there someone
That wants somebody home
Just to mere have in their arms
What a Christmas present mmm this Christmas
Oh what a gift you could be
You know if I could just give out
Christmas presents to every one
Under one great big Christmas tree
You know I'm even fat enough to be
To be the world's biggest Santa Claus
And everybody could just
Just stand around and just say
Ooh is that one for me?
Ha, Come on
A Christmas present for everybody this year
And we want to give it to them are you ready?
Come on everybody, come on one more time together
Merry Christmas baby
Present for you Christmas directly from me
For all the disc jokeys around the world Merry Christmas
All the policeman and all the pretty girls ha!
Oh la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la ha ha!
That's for my old friend ya'll (Sam Cooke) and all the soul friends
Christmas brothers baby, here we go
Come on let me hear you, come on
Alright now listen to me
Somewhere in this big wide world
There's some little girl and boy
Who's wishing for a great big Christmas
Maybe one, two, or three toys
But sadly enough believe me as it seems
They won't get these things we know
But the best thing that we can do
Is wish a Merry Christmas to you
And hope next year
Things will have a lot of joy
Christmas presents to every one
Ha ha ooh what a gift it could be
If I could just have a great big Christmas tree
Ha, spread it all around the world
"Presents For Christmas" is a song written by Solomon Burke.
Solomon Burke (March 21, 1940 – October 10, 2010) was an American recording artist and vocalist, who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues as one of the founding fathers of soul music in the 1960's and a "key transitional figure in the development of soul music from rhythm and blues. He had a string of hits including "Cry to Me", "If You Need Me", "Got to Get You Off My Mind", "Down in the Valley" and "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love". Burke was referred to as "King Solomon", the "King of Rock 'n' Soul", "Bishop of Soul" and the "Muhammad Ali of soul". Due to his minimal chart success in comparison to other soul music greats such as James Brown, Wilson Pickett and Otis Redding, Burke has been described as the genre's "most unfairly overlooked singer" of its golden age. Atlantic Records executive Jerry Wexler referred to Burke as "the greatest male soul singer of all time".
Burke's most famous recordings, which spanned five years in the early 1960s, bridged the gap between mainstream R&B and grittier R&B.[9] Burke was "a singer whose smooth, powerful articulation and mingling of sacred and profane themes helped define soul music in the early 1960s." He drew from his roots – gospel, jazz, country and blues – as well as developing his own style at a time when R&B, and rock were both still in their infancy. Described as both "Rabelaisian" and also as a "spiritual enigma, "perhaps more than any other artist, the ample figure of Solomon Burke symbolized the ways that spirituality and commerce, ecstasy and entertainment, sex and salvation, individualism and brotherhood, could blend in the world of 1960s soul music."
During the 55 years that he performed professionally, Burke released 38 studio albums on at least 17 record labels and had 35 singles that charted in the US, including 26 singles that made the Billboard R&B charts. In 2001, Burke was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a performer. His album Don't Give Up on Me won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album at the 45th Grammy Awards in 2003. By 2005 Burke was credited with selling 17 million albums. Rolling Stone ranked Burke as no. 89 on its 2008 list of "100 Greatest Singers of All Time."
Oh this is gonna be a groove for me
It's gonna be a little something different
But we're gonna give it to them anyway
Are you ready? Come on... ha!
We want to give out a present to everyone this Christmas
All around the world for every man, woman, boy and girl
Are you ready right now, come on here we go
Aaa I like it like that, come on that's it
Alright come on
Christmas present around the world
Is something mighty sweet to see
If only I just had a present for everyone
Under one great big Christmas tree
For ever boy that wants a brand new toy
For every Johnny that wants a car
For every junior that wants a mobile bike
Rides and a rides and rides
Now my little daughter
She wants a doll that cries
One that walks and wipes it's eyes
And I see there someone
That wants somebody home
Just to mere have in their arms
What a Christmas present mmm this Christmas
Oh what a gift you could be
You know if I could just give out
Christmas presents to every one
Under one great big Christmas tree
You know I'm even fat enough to be
To be the world's biggest Santa Claus
And everybody could just
Just stand around and just say
Ooh is that one for me?
Ha, Come on
A Christmas present for everybody this year
And we want to give it to them are you ready?
Come on everybody, come on one more time together
Merry Christmas baby
Present for you Christmas directly from me
For all the disc jokeys around the world Merry Christmas
All the policeman and all the pretty girls ha!
Oh la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la ha ha!
That's for my old friend ya'll (Sam Cooke) and all the soul friends
Christmas brothers baby, here we go
Come on let me hear you, come on
Alright now listen to me
Somewhere in this big wide world
There's some little girl and boy
Who's wishing for a great big Christmas
Maybe one, two, or three toys
But sadly enough believe me as it seems
They won't get these things we know
But the best thing that we can do
Is wish a Merry Christmas to you
And hope next year
Things will have a lot of joy
Christmas presents to every one
Ha ha ooh what a gift it could be
If I could just have a great big Christmas tree
Ha, spread it all around the world
