Carolin'

Francesca Battistelli sets "Carolin'" in a cozy house, with "skies are snowing," a fire going and cocoa in hand, and then talks everyone out the door. The hook is an invitation, "Grab a coat and spread some Christmas cheer," followed by the refrain "Let's go carolin'." Cider, twinkling lights and cold toes keep the mood playful, and the verses read like a winter walk with friends.

The chorus is where the carols take over. Titles and lines from "Hark the Herald," "Silent Night," "Joy to the World" and "Deck the Halls" are strung together, and "Come, O come Emmanuel" turns the list toward the birth it celebrates. A pre-chorus line, "Glory to the newborn King," makes the same turn in the middle of the song, so the festivities keep pointing at Christ.

The bridge lands on "Here together, nothing better" and finishes with "O the joy the season brings, makes my heart just want to sing." Luke 2:14 supplies the angels' "glory to God in the highest" behind the hymns quoted, Luke 2:10 the "good news of great joy," and Matthew 1:23 the name Emmanuel, "God with us."