Parade of the Wooden Soldiers

"The Parade of the Tin Soldiers" (Die Parade der Zinnsoldaten), also known as "The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers", is an instrumental musical character piece, in the form of a popular jaunty march, written by German composer Leon Jessel, in 1897.

Since the early 1920s, the piece has been very popular in the U.S., and has also been frequently performed and recorded worldwide. A song, "The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers," was also created from the piece in 1922, with English lyrics by Ballard MacDonald.

English lyrics written by Ballard MacDonald in 1922
The toy shop door is locked up tight

And everything is quiet for the night.

And suddenly the clock strikes twelve,

The fun's begun!

The dolls are in their best arrayed,

There's going to be a wonderful parade.

Hark to the drum,

Oh, here they come, cries everyone

Hear them all cheering,

Now they are nearing,

There's the captain stiff as starch.

Bayonets flashing,

Music is crashing,

As the wooden soldiers march;

Sabers a-clinking,

Soldiers a-winking,

At each pretty little maid.

Here they come!

Here they come!

Here they come!

Here they come!

Wooden soldiers on parade.

Daylight is creeping,

Dollies are sleeping.

In the toy shop window fast;

Soldiers so jolly,

Think of each dolly,

Dreaming of the night that's past.

When in the morning,

Without warning,

Toyman pulls the window shade,

There's no sign the Wood brigade

Was ever out upon parade.

Other notes
The song is often used as a Christmas piece. A version sung by The Crystals is on the 1963 album A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Connick,_Jr. Harry Connick, Jr.] sings it on his 1993 album, When My Heart Finds Christmas. It is also on Disney's Very Merry Christmas Songs DVD.