I’ve been reading Games and Songs of American Children by William Wells Newell, a Dover reprint of the 1903 edition. I find it fascinating how games are transmitted from generation to generation, games like “Tag”, “Button button who has the button?”, “The church and the steeple” or “Odd or even?” These games are not learned from teachers in a school, or read in a book, or typically even taught from parents. For the most part they are transmitted from child to child, from an older sibling, or a peer, through the most casual pathways. Games like this have spread across the country and beyond without any overt effort. In a way, it is like language.
So, that made me think about the “classic” children’s Christmas parody of “Jingle Bells, Batman Smells”. I assume there is no part of this country where these words are not known to every child. But it exists in no songbook. Who first sang these words, and when and where was it done? How fast did it travel? I think if a sufficient survey was done of adults of various ages, as to when and where they recall first hearing these lyrics, one could reconstruct the migration of this bit of modern folklore. Those who heard it earliest would have heard it closer to its source.
It would help my little research if any old-timers (say over 40 years old) left a comment indicating what version you heard first, where you heard it (town and state) and approximately what year you heard it. I’d like to figure out what the original version truly was, and where it came from and how fast it spread.
There are several variants of this song. The one I grew up with was:
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost a wheel
and the Joker got away (Hey!)
Other reported versions include:
Shotgun shells, Santa smells,
Rudolf ran away,
Oh what fun it is to ride
in a beat-up Chevrolet!
or
Jingle bells, shotgun shells,
Santa Claus is dead,
Rudolf got a .22
and shot him in the head.
or
Jingle Bells, Shotgun Shells,
BB’s in the air.
Oh, what fun it is to ride
in Santa’s underwear!”
or
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg,
The Batmobile lost a wheel,
and the Joker joined ballet , Hey!
Check the comments for other variations. Some have alternate lyrics to the verse as well as the chorus.
Also, if you are interesting in crazy Christmas music, then I highly recommend Dr. Demento Presents: Greatest Christmas Novelty CD
This work, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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{ 162 comments… read them below or add one }
Southeast PA, early 70′s, Your version, and also two other parodies of Jingle Bells:
1.
Shotgun shells, Santa smells, Rudolf ran away, Oh what fun it is to ride in a beat-up Chevrolet!
2. Jingle bells, shotgun shells,
Santa Claus is dead,
Rudolf got a .22 and shot him in the head.
I’m researching this, too, and happened upon this post. Thought I’d add that growing up, we always sang…
“Jingle Bells, Shotgun Shells, BeeBees in the air. Oh, what fun it is to ride in Santa’s underwear!”
Creepy, I know.
Well, what is new is to say “Jingle Bells ,batman smells Robin laid an egg, the batmobile lost a wheel ,and joker joined ballet , Hey!”
My husband’s contribution, Vancouver BC, ca 1965?? Only the first part is certain, the rest is now in scraps and tatters, and if anyone can help ?
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Santa Claus is dead,
Someone took a beebee gun and shot him in the head, hey!
Dashing through the snow, in a one-horse open sleigh,
Hunting down the elves, laughing all the way
(Bells on bob-tail ring,
making spirits bright — there MAY have been something in this phrase about blood on the snow, but that’s one of the lost parts)
Oh what fun it is to ride and sing a slaying song tonight, hey!
Anybody recognize this one?
this is one i learned when i was about 7 or 8, “jingle bells batman smells, robin laid an egg! batmobile lost a wheel and joker took ballet hey! dashing through the snow on a broken pair of skis over hills we go, crashing into trees hahaha the snow is turning red, i think im almost dead, will someone call an ambulance before i lose my head hey! not a very good song to be singing at 7 years old i kno but what can you do?
the last song goes
Dashing through the snow on a pair of broken skis and crashing into trees the snow is turning red i think im almost dead but i wake up in a hospital bed with stiches in my head Hey 911 911 barneys on the run and i forget the rest of the song so am gonna say HEY
there’s this one:
dashing through the snow
on a pair of broken skiis
oner the hills we go
crashing throgh the trees
the snow is really red
i think im almost dead
they rushed me to the hospital
i almost lost my head!
jingle bells, jingle bells, santa clause is dead rudolph took a 22 and shot him in the head barbie doll barbie doll tried to save his life but GI joe from mexico stabed her with a knife. That’s a pretty bad one.
I got one and here it is:
Dashing through the snow
on a pair of broken skis
over the hills we go
crashing through the trees!
Oh my god!
The snow is turnin’ red
I think I’m almost dead
I woke up in a hospital bed
with stitches in my head!
911,
911,
Calling 911,
while I’m on my broken skis,
I’m saying “Oh what fun”
Hey!
ahah ok heres one
jingle bells
batman smells robbin layed an egg,
batmobil lost its wheel and joker got away
hey!
batmans in the kitchen
robbins in the hall
jokers in the bathroom peeing on the wall !…
ahah i just heard that one
HERE’S 1!!!
dashing through the snow on a pair of broken skis over the cliffs I go, crashing into trees
the snow is turning red, I think I’m almost dead. I woke up in the hospital with stitches in my head
O
911 911 call it all the way
O what fun it is to ride in an ambulance all day HEY
911 911 call it all the way O. what. fun. it. is. to. ride. in. a.
one
horse
o-pen
sleeeeeeeeeeiiiiiiiiiighhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
When doing the broken pair of skis version, be sure to add “ow, ow, ow” after crashing into trees.
I first heard it (the first version you list) in Minneapolis around 1974 while in 6th grade
Batman’s in the kitchen,
Robin’s in the hall,
Joker’s in the bathroom
peeing on the wall.
Penguin’s on the potty,
His arms too short to wipe,
Catwoman’s in the litter box
And the Riddler smokes a pipe.
O, Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg,
The Batmobile lost a wheel and the Joker got away!
jingle bells,
batman smells,
robin layed an egg!
the batmobile lost a wheel,
and joker`s song is gay!
oooooh..
jingle bells,
shotgun shells,
mad hatter is dead!
robin got a .22,
and shot him in the head!
ooooooooh!
*chorus*
prancing through the snow,
joker has his day,
taking all the jewls,
laughing all the way!
mwa hah hah!
next verse:
batmans in the kitchen,
robins in the hall,
jokers on the porch,
peeing on the wall! penguins on the potty, his arms too short to wipe,
catwomans in the litter box,
and robin smokes a pipe!
theres more but i cant remember…
Deck the Halls with laughing gases
mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
watch batman kick those guys asses
mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
cant they see im geting away?
mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
robins too busy being gay
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
jokers leaving in a haste
dun da da dun da, da da da da.
not fast enuff, they smashed his face
Fa la la la la la, la la la.
in arkum they give a toast
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
to the clown with a smashed nose
ha ha ha ha haaa ha ha ha haaaaa!
Robin the red dressed hero
batmans very first sidekick
he never took good orders
prolly why his name is dick
bruce was a bit strict on him
while they kept crime at bay
he always bossed poor Robin
ever since that one day
That one day at the trapeze
that Brucey came to say:
“Robin with your mind so bright
wont you try on these cool tights?”
Then how the villions hated him
stressed him out til he was angry
left the roll to tim drake
then came the night wing!!
Jingle bells batman smells
Robin laid a gun
Shot a deer in the rear
in 1981
I first heard the classic:
Jingle bells, batman smells
Robin laid an egg
The batmobile
Lost its wheel
And the Joker ran away-hey!
In the early ’70s growing up in Rhode Island. I heard it throughout my childhood, next in New Hampshire, and then in Virginia. Hope this helps track it down…I’m curious too!
its obvious where the carols stemmed from! in the actual series joker sings the song in a christmas episode. then other ppl made thier own versions and then on and so forth
Here’s one we sang back in the 70s growing up in Australia……….
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells
Robin flew away
Father Christmas lost his whiskers
Flying TAA – Hey!
FYI – TAA stands for Trans Australia Airlines and was the national airline of Oz back in those days.
Doubt it’ll be much help, but in the 90s the definitive version in PA, NJ, and NY was
“Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg
The batmobile lost a wheel
And Joker took ballet”
Also another one from Australia from the 70′s that I learnt was
Jingle Bells, Batman smells Robin Ran away, Wonder Woman lost her bosoms flying T.A.A
when i was 8 wen i herd one that goes like this: jingle bells batman smells robin flew away uncle billy lost his willy on the motorway hey!
but very rude:(
Jingel Bells, Shotgun Shells,
Santa Claus is dead,
tried to steal my sneakers
so I shot him in the head.
Ohio. Late 70′s/early 80′s.
Dashing through the snow,on a pair of broken skis,down the hill we go,crashing into trees. The snow is turning red,oh my gosh santa claus he’s dead! Oh, 911,911 santa’s really dead! Oh barbie doll,barbie doll tried yo save his life. But GI Joe from Mexico stabbed her with a knife!
Here’s the Sesame Street version:
Jingle bells, Oscar smells,
Bid Bird laid an egg.
Mr. Hooper had a pooper,
On Christmas day, Hey!
JINGLE BELLS, SANTA SMELLS,
50 MILES AWAY
BLOWS HIS NOSE, IN CHERIOS,
AND EATS THEM EVERYDAY, HEY
Jingle Bells
Batman Smells
Robin laid a leg.
That leg once belonged to the joker
Hey!
Scropion’s attacking Batman
Burning him to hell
how did he get here hey
He’s supposed to be in Mortal Kombat
With Barraka
While getting sliced
with those giant sword things!
Now it’s 2045
Batman can’t even see
and joker’s on a killing spree!
Hey!
(I just made it up as I went along!)
North Alabama, early 80s
Jingle Bells, Shotgun shells
Granny has a gun!
Shot me in the underwear
and boy I had to run!
Anyone know teh last woprds to this one I remember from school/
Jungle bells Batman smells Robyn ran away. Wonder Woman lost her busoms….
I seem to remember that it list a few other “heroes as well
jingle bells batman smells
robin laid an egg!
batmobile lost its wheel
and joker played ballet! hey!
Jingle bells, shotgun shells,
Granny had a gun,
Pulled that trigger and
Shot that N*****
in 1961.
Silght variation on the Batman one where I grew up.
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
The batmobile just lost a wheel, and now the Batman’s dead!
Thanks!! we found this site after hearing a child say
“Jingle Bells Batman smells
Robin got a gun
Shot a tree Made it pee
And Joker got away”
and wondering what was up with that.
Jingle bells,
batman smells,
robin layed a gun,
shot a tree and
made it pee in
1981
MY PARODY
Santa Claus, Santa Claus,
Santa Claus is dead,
Rudolf jacked a 4.4
And shot him in the head,
Oh,
Barbie doll, Barbie doll,
Tried to save his life,
But Scrooge’s son grabbed her thin neck
And stabbed her with a knife.
Escaping through the snow,
On two pairs of broken skis,
Over huge hills they go,
Smashing into trees,
Snow ‘round them ‘s turning red,
Rudolf (literally) lost his head,
They end up in a hospital
Chained tightly to their bed,
‘Cause
Santa Claus, Santa Claus,
Santa Claus is dead,
Rudolf jacked a 4.4
And shot him in the head,
And
Barbie doll, Barbie doll,
Tried to save his life,
But Scrooge’s son grabbed her thin neck
And stabbed her with a knife.
Dashing through the snow,
On two old broken skiis.
I think I broke my knees.
The snow is turning red.
I think I’m almost dead.
Ten years in the hospital with stitches in my head.
Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells,
granny got a gun.
Shot a deer, in the rear in 1941. HEY!
This was how me and my son sing it.Jingle bells
Batman smells
Robin laid an egg.
The Bat Mobil lost its wheel and crashed in to hedge
HEY!
Batman’s is a so camp.
And Robin is a fool.
The Jokers in the Batman’s house peeing on the walls
HEY!
Dashing through the snow
on a pair of broken skis
over the hills he goes
crashing through the trees.
HEY!
The snow is really red
I think he’s almost dead
Batman’s rushed to hospital
he almost lost his head.
HEY!
Jingle bells, Jingle bells
Jingle all the way.
O what fun it is to ride
in batman’s Chevrolet.
From Tim and James UK
Hi Rob,
I'm 51, and the first version I remember is the first one you posted. I'm sue I first heard it in '66… I was 8, and the Batman TV show was brand new.
Thanks for posting
Caby Smith
The VErsion I know goes
Jingle Bells
Batman Smells
Robin layed an egg
rudolph got a 22. and shot
him in the head
We also sang in Mississippi:
Jingle Bells,Shotgun Shells
Grandma's got a gun
Shot me in the underwear and boy I had to run!
Someone from Alabama made the same post. I guess it's a Southern thing! We sang this version as children in the 80's, but I'm sure it was around before then.
Kids on the West Side of Manhattan have taught me:
Dashing through the snow
on a pair of broken skis
o'er the fields we go
And crashing into trees
The sno is turning red
I think Im almost dead
All I want for Christmas is an artificial head
oh 9-1-1-, 9-1-1
Someone call the cops
Take me to the hospital and feed me lollipops!
But as a child on Long Island in the 70's we sang
Jingle Bells
Batman Smells
Robin laid an egg
The Batmobile broke it's wheel and the Joker got away!
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg,
Uncle Billy lost his willy,
on the motorway hey!
Jingle Hell
Jingle bells, Santa smells,
The reindeers flew away;
The elves are sick
The snow is thick:
We all hate Christmas Day.
Jingle Bells, the turkey smells,
The stuffing's thick and grey;
The sprouts are old,
The sauce is cold:
We all hate Christmas Day.
Jingle Bells, the rector smells,
The curate he looks gay;
The church bell rings,
The choir sings:
We all hate Christmas Day.
Jingle bells, Granddad smells,
Grandma wants her way,
Dad is mad,
Mum is sad:
We all hate Christmas Day.
Zymosian. 12th December, 2009
By me
the x-factor version, courtesy of my 10 yr old brother-
jingle bells, jedward smells,
simon cowell's gay,
oh what fun it is to screech
and ignore what the judges say!
first heard round belfast, 2009
Early 70′s, NE Pennsylvania:
Joker “RAN” away version.
This is all really interesting. But the only time I can remember hearing it was on The Simpsons in one of their Christmas shows. And it was:
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost a wheel,
And the Joker got away.
Another version, as if sung by an auctioneer at a fast tempo:
Jingle Bells, but-a-Batman smells but-a-
Robin laid an egg.
Frank Sinatra sang this song but it
Didn’t go this way, hey!
Jingle Bells, but-a-Batman smells but-a-
Robin laid an egg.
Sammy Spear, drank a beer and the
Band refused to play.
I have one:
Jiggle bells bat man smells robin has a gun, he shot himself at pizza hut in 1981!
Try this:
Jingle bells, dasher smells
Elfy ran away
Santa thinks, that Elfy stinks
I forgot what to say! Hey!
the one that i remember lerning when i was a kid is:
jingle bells
batman smell
robin laid an egg
batmobile lost a weel and
joker played ballet hey
dashing through the snow
on a pair of broken skiis
over the hill we go
crashing into trees ow ow ow
the snow is turning red
i think im gonna die
and all i want for christmas is a bloodshot through the eye ooh,
jingle bells
jingle bells
Robin flew away
santa claws lost his balls on the m6 moterway , HEY!
heres a good version..
Jingle balls jingle balls
my balls are made of brass
every time the rub together
sparks fly out my ass
What’s with all the guns??
We always sang the 70′s version about Wonder woman losing her bosoms.
Thought I would try a new version for my son- Think I’ll go with a ‘clean’ no-gun one- Thanks!
jingle bells jingle bells grandma got a ak47 and shot plum to heaven
then he fell and he hit his head and now he is dead
Jingle bells jingle bells grandma lost her way found a gun and now he is done now she is laughin all way hey hey hey jingle bells jingle bells the police came by one day where did ya find tht gun he asked oh wait i left it here yesterday
This is the version we were singing in 1970
Jingle Bells Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
Batmobile lost a wheel
Commissioner lost a leg
Chief OHare shot himself
With a .44
Batgirl fell in pit of tar
And then there were no more
same one you grew up with, Overland Park, Kansas, late 60′s.
I assume also, that it coincided with the tv show
I’m 57 and I have NEVER heard any of these, only the first line of “Jingle Bells, Shotgun Shells,” I guess I just wasn’t cool enough to be included in those “rain deer games…”
Jingle Bells, Santa smells
Rudolph broke his nose
Mrs. Clause showed her gauze
And the elves all ran away
HEY!!!!!
the version I grew up with in the late 70′s early 80′s and this is an Australian version as it refers to TAA which was a old Australian airline
jingle bells
batman smells
robin flew away
wonder woman lost her bosom flying TAA
The version I sang was just a little different. On the last line we would sing “And joker turned out gay.”
@BreeS We sang that one too
Here is one
Jingle bells
Batman smells 50 miles away
Oh what fun it is to ride in a 50′s chevorlet!
“Joker ran away” 1970s England
My version, which I heard when I was 5:
Jingle Bells,
Something smells,
Santa Claus is dead
G.I. Joe and Mickey Mouse,
Shot him in the head,
HEY!
jingle bells, rachel smells, georgiaa is an egg!!!!
… they lost there pants in the midle of france and pranced and danced and climbed mount everast and bopped around wales!! then fared!:)
Jingle bells, shotgun shells,
Santa Claus is dead,
G.I. Joe, the eskimo,
Shot him in the head, (Oh!)
Barbie doll, Barbie doll,
Tried to save his life,
But G.I. Joe, the eskimo,
Stabbed her with a knife.
i heard a song that went, jingel bells, batman smells, robin laid an egg, the batmobile lost a wheel, and joker got away, batmans in the kitchen, robins in the hall, jokers in the bathroom peeing on the wall
In 1960′s California, we sang:
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg,
Oh what fun it is to ride
in a beat up Chevrolet.
i first heard the “joker got away” version around 1970 in pheonix arizona. i’ve never heard the other versions listed here
December 13, 2010
this one goes way back – I heard it in the early 1950′s but can’t remember all of it
“Jingle bells, shotgun shells,
Sheriff’s on his way.
———————–
In a beat-up Chevrolet.”
does anyone remember the third line? might have been something like “Grandpa’s kissin’ grandma”
Got one
Crashing to the sleigh,
The snow is turning gray,
I think the world is going to end in 2010 ole!
Hey!
Jingle bells, Dora smells,
Boots laid an egg, oh what what it is to ride on Dora”s butt,
hEy
jingle bells my sister smells,
i don’t really like her,
she punches me in the face,
then runs away with grace hey!
jingle bells jingle bells
Rudolph is near,
crap this is getting really really queer
i think my death is coming near hey!
Here are two versions we used to sing as children in the 1970s in Massachusetts:
Jingle bells
Stinker smells
Rudolph ran away
Stuffed his nose
With Cheerios
And ate ‘em on the way
And the Batman version was:
Jingle bells
Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
The Batmobile
Lost it’s wheel
And joker got away
(According to my husband who grew up on Long Island in the same era, the last lime of this version should be “A hundred miles away” instead of “And Joker got away”–I’ve never heard that version until I met him in 2001)
Vaguely familiar with most of these versions but the one I remember from my childhood in England went:
Jingle bells, batman smells,
Robin flew away,
The batmobile lost it’s wheel,
And landed in the hay, hey! x2
As a kid in the mid-late ’60s in Indianapolis, the version we sang was, “Jingle bells, Batman smells, Robin laid an egg. The Batmobile lost a wheel & the Joker got away.” My husband, who was a kid in Port Arthur, TX, around the same time, substituted Penguin for Joker, but otherwise the same version. However, I do recall 1 of the versions which included shotgun shells, too, but only vaguely.
dashing through the snow on a pair of broken skis down the hill we go crashing into trees ow ow ow the snow is turning red i think im almost dead all i wanted for christmas is a hospital bed ooooooooohhhhhhh 911 911 calling 911 while im on broken skis say oh wat fun hey
Dashing through the snow on a pair of broken skiis,
Over hills we go,
bashing into trees!
Now the snow is red,
I think I’m almost dead,
now I’m at the hospital with stitches in my head!
Oh, Santa Claus, Santa Claus,
You are very fat!
I was sleeping peacefully,
And now my bed is flat, HEY!
Oh, Santa Claus, Santa Claus,
How much do you weigh?
I’m glad I’m not a reindeer,
That has to pull your sleigh!
In my grade school in the mid ’60s when BATMAN was on TV, it was:
Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin ran away.
The Batmobile lost its wheel
and the Commisioner died that day.
(Later on, I heard it “Robin flew away”, which I thought was stupid since Robin couldn’t fly)
I’ve heard a few of these but not:
Deck the halls with gasoline (falalalalalalalala)
Light a match and run and scream(falalalalalalalala)
Watch the school burn down in ashes(falalalalalalalala)
Aren’t u glad I played with matches(falalalalalalalala)
There’s another one:
Dashing through the snow on a pair of broken skiis falling off the cliffs breaking botth my knees the snow is turning red I think I might be dead all I wasn’t for christmas is a hospital bed
OH
Jingle bells batman smells robin laid a gun
Shot his but in pizza hut in 1981
I heard a very racists one when I was really young probably 7-8 and did not know what all the words meant at the time.
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Grandpa’s got a gun,
Pulled the trigger,
Shot a n****r,
Now he’s on the run
HEY!
I hope that my kids never learn this one before they know all the words. I got such a beating when I sang this one at home.
when i was 8 i heard this jingle bells,shotgun shells,robin laid an egg,oh what fun it is to ride in santa’s underwear
As a child in Louisville, KY, in the 1960s, I heard:
Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost its wheel
and Penguin got away.
It seems most folks have heard ‘the Joker got away’ and only one person’s husband from Texas had heard the Penguin version. I’d love to see a map showing the areas that learned ‘Penguin’ and the ones that learned ‘Joker’. Would be most interesting!
I can’t believe that nobody posted the version I grew up with:
Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost its wheel
And Batgirl lost her head.
dashing through the snow, on a pair of brocken skiis. bumping into trees ,knocking out my teeth.
i take 10 pills each day, and stiches in my brain. and now im lying in my bed with pinecones in my head. hey! jingle bells……
Okay… I went a’googling to find the lyics.
I thought there must be only one, or at least an original version…
After scanning through the lists I gave up trying to to find the one I learned as a child.
I also now have a new perspective on the hassels various Prelates went through when codifying the final version(s) of the Psalms…
Merry Christmas 2010!
just came up with a version last night. let me know what you think :)) :
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Batman no more smells.
Oh, how fun it is to drive
My car into the lake!
Hey!
Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Robin ate an egg,
When you’re waiting on the tree
With presents in your brains.
Hey!
Jingle bells batman smells Robin laid an egg Shot a tree
Made him pee in 1983!
did anyone else notice the all the verses with “laid an egg” don’t rhyme ??? i remember hearing it in the 70′s here in Australia but it was one of the “robin flew away”versions… cant remember it all . my kids had not heard it 8 and 5 .
I heard version #1 in Toronto Canada when I was a kid about 1969
Dashing through the snow
On a broken pair of skiis
Over the hills we go
Crashing into trees
The snow is turning red
I think Im almost dead
Woke up in the hospital
With stiches in my head!
Jingle Bells Batman Smells
Robin laid an egg
The batmobile lost a wheel
And Joker got away!
Hey!
Jingle Bells Batman Smells
Robin had a gun
Shot his butt to Pizza Hut
In 1981!
Dashing through the snow,
On a pair of broken skis.
All the way we go,
Crashing into trees.
The snow is turning red,
I think I’m almost dead,
I wake up in the hospital with ski poles in my head.
Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells,
Santa Claus is dead.
Rudolph took a .22 and shot him in the head.
Oh, Barbie doll, Barbie doll,
Tried to save his life
But G.I. Joe from Mexico stabbed her with a knife.
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
Batmobile lost a wheel
And the Joker got away
All through Gotham City
Racing day and night
Where-ever there is Batman
There’s sure to be a fight
Mid to late 70′s in North Wales we’d sing:
Jingle bells Batman smells
Robin flew away
Kojak lost his lollipop
So he bought a milkyway
The one I grew up with:
Dashing through the snow,
On a broken pair of skies.
Over the hills we go,
Crashing into trees!
The snow s turning red,
I think I’m almost dead,
I almost lost my head!
Oh! Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg.
The MIB belongs to me,
And Joker got away.. Hey!
Oh! Jingle Bells, Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg.
The batmobile lost a wheel,
And Joker got away… Hey!
From Maryland when I was 6 or 7
This is the version I heard growing up in Basingstoke, Hampshire in the UK in ’78/’79.
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells
Robin flew away
The Batmobile lost a wheel
On the M1 motorway
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells
Robin flew away.
Uncle Billy lost his Willy,
On the motorway, hey!
This is the 90′s version in england >.<
jingle bells batman smells… is an old cartoon network jingle
Jingle bells
Batman smells
Robin flew away
Uncle Billy lost his pants in the USA
I learned the first version — verbatim — in 1997, at age 7. I had no idea these were this old!
Sorry, I forgot — heard it first in Queens, New York.
jingle bells, batman smells
robin laid an egg
uncle billy lost his Willy on the motorway
hey
The “Christmas with the Joker” episode of Batman: The Animated Series (originally aired November 13, 1992) opens with the Joker singing the first version of the song verbatim (without the Hey! at the end). It’s also the version that was around in the late ’80s / early ’90s when I was growing up in Northeast Ohio. But from reading all the replies, it seems it was the definitive version almost from the very beginning.
I have a hard time believing this wasn’t in the original ’60s cartoon, or part of something supplementing it, or on a cereal box, or something! It’s always bothered me that it doesn’t really seem to go together very well at all. How did this catch on over other possible variants that were more, well, catchy? No one has reported hearing it before the cartoon was on. And how did so many people first hear it when the cartoon was new–shouldn’t it have taken some time to spread? I hoped to find an answer to the origin after seeing this episode, but now all I have is more questions…
The one I know is:
Jingle bells
Batman smells
Robin flew away
Uncle Billy lost his willy
In front of all the town
Hey Hey
One of the very first time I heard the song, was in that simpsons episode, one of my favorites, when Bart set up a casino in his treehouse and get Robert Goulet and then after the song he hits Milhouse with the microphone so hard…hahahahahaha…
Australia, 1993.
“Jingle bells, batman smells,
Robin layed an egg,
The Batmobile lost a wheel,
Driving to LA, HEY!”
I invented this one in 1977 in Leamington Spa, England-
Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin ran away.
Catwoman stinks and Jez always winks
at people who are gay.
Jez was a friend of ours.
I’m now 50 and no longer make homophobic songs up.
JINGLEBELLS,SANTA SWELL,EASTERS ON THE WAY,OH WHAT FUN IT IS TO RIDE IN A BEAT-UP CHEVELET
jingle bells jingle bells
grandma lost her head.
my aunt is sick
my nice is slick
and i am in bed.
all on Christmas day.
HEY!
Jingle Bells, Batman smells
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile lost a wheel
and the Joker got away……….First heard this in 4th grade (1976) Chicago…..Man does this bring back memories!!!! We used to sing this all the time on the bus while going home near Christmastime……sweet sweet memories!!
In North East England in the 1980s the lyrics we used were:
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells,
Robin flew away
Lost his pants in the middle of France
And found them in Bombay – hey!
so what im not 40 but here’s the one we sing at school:
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells,
Robin flew away,
Uncle Billy lost his willy
on the motorway – HEY!
hey, i read your post or whatever they call it here and figured i’d let you know where i heard it. i’m not sure if this is the first time the “batman smells” song was ever sung, but i heard it sung by the joker in a batman christmas special from the batman animated series. (the old one, not the new batman superman aventures) the episode is called christmas with the joker. it was made around 1992. i’m only a teen so i’m not sure what came first (the chicken or the egg lol). i was just *interested* (*obsessed) in batman so i bought the series. i hope this helps!
Jingle Bells,
Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg,
Batmobile lost its’ wheel
and joker got away
hey!
*repeat*
Batman’s in the kitchen,
robin’s in the hall,
joker’s in the bathroom,
peeing on the wall
hahaha!
Batman’s going swimming
Robins in a dance
Joker’s sitting in the sun
peeing in his pants!
*chorus*
atleast from what I remember joker had urinary problems XD possibly a prostate exam was due >l
I first heard it in the Batman: The Animated Series episode (the old series). I can’t remember which one it was, but it was a Christmas one on rerun on some random channel. The Joker sang it and then flew away on a Christmas tree (it sounds weird written down) I heard it on a Simpsons episode as well. “Simpsons roasting on an open fire”.
Jingle bells,
Mortar shells,
VC in the grass
Take your merry Christmas and shove it up your ass!
(Sung by soldiers in Viet Nam, where it was 100 F, sunny and very humid at Christmas time. VC = Viet Cong.)
Here’s a version from London, England in the early 90′s:
Jingle Bells, Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg.
The Batmobile ran out of fuel,
And the Joker got away,
HEY!
Jingle Bells, Batman smells,
Robin flew away.
The Batmobile lost a wheel,
On the M6 motorway!
I heard the following parody in high school circa 1989, Las Vegas NV from my best friend…..
Jingle Bells, Santa Smellls
Reindeer in the grass.
Take your merry Christmas tree and shove it up
your ass.
Jingle bells,
Batman smells,
Robin flew away,
Santa Clause,
lost his balls,
on the m6 motorway
(Hey!)
Jingle Bells, Batman smells, Robin flew away, uncle Billy has lost his willy. Martin and Luke are gay!
Here’s a good one:
Jingle bells batman smells
robin layed a gun shot a tree
mayed it pee in 1981.
or
jingle bells shotgun shells,
robin layed a gun shot a tree
mayed it pee in 1981.
santa claus santa claus
fell of the slay.
Barbie doll barbie doll
tried to save his life.
but robin sat on her.
Sorry I forgot to say hey
in my songs oh well.
(ti pickle)
Jingle Bells,
Batman smells,
Robin flew away.
The Batmobile lost a wheel*
On the motorway. England 1960′s
* Uncle Billy lost his willy – England 1990′s
Jingle Bells, Piglet Smell,
Pooh Bear lay some eggs.
Hundred Aced Woods has smell Pooh’s gas,
And fell down in the ground Hey,
Jingle Bells, Piglet Smell,
Pooh Bear lay some eggs,
Oh my lord! Pooh’s butt is rip,
And fart at Gargamel, Hey!
Captain Sabertooth was shipwreck at Dog City,
What kind of storm it was,
It’s Winnie the Pooh pas gas!!!
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!
Snag by Don KArnage and his crew of air pirates, from Tale Spin,
Escaped from Disney to Jim Henson’s Dog City!
Growing up on the South Coast of England in the Early 80′s, i always remember it being:
Jingle Bells
Batman Smells
Robin Flew Away
The Batmobile
Has Lost It’s Wheel
On The M1 Motorway.
I have heard other versions though. ‘Robin Flew Away’ rhymes much better than ‘Robin Laid An Egg’. Someone in another post mentioned that Robin Couldn’t fly so he was unsure why kids sang it. TBH i think it less likely that Robin could lay an egg but that’s just me!
Seriously though, i always understood it that it was a play on words, Robin the DC Character cannot fly, but the more famously known Robin (the actual Bird) can.
With regards to ‘My Uncle Billy’s Lost His Willy On The Motorway’, that is a variation taken from mixing the ‘Jingle Bells Batman Smells’ Rhyme, and the Rhyme:
My mate Billy has a 10 foot willy,
He showed it to the girl next door,
She thought it was a snake,
And cut it with a rake,
And now it’s only 4 foot 4 (4’4″)
Oh the inventiveness of kids rhyming the words Billy and Willy!
I doubt i’ll be teaching the latter rhyme to my 5yr old, i’ll let the kids at his school teach him if they havn’t come up with ruder ones by now.
This is one for I’m a Celebrity get me Out of here 2011:
Jingle bells, Fatima smells, Willie ruled the camp. Marks ok and Antonys gay. Dougie all the way, HEY!
ok, heres the jingle bells song i heard in grade school almost 45 years ago.
Riding through metropolis, in the batmobile today, in pursuit of the joker, nothings going their way, as our heroes get close, the joker flips them the bird, the batmobile spins out of control and wipes out by the curb OHH, jingle bells batman smells, robin laid an egg, the batmobile lost its wheel and the joker got away, ehh, jingle bells batman smells robin got out the jack, he placed it under the batmobile, but it slipped and crushed his back. Now the batmans sad ,cause robin’s laid to rest, the joker finnaly got revenge for gothom city’s best!
THAT IS THE WHOLE SONG!
king and queen
shit a bean
bent over and
painted it green!
or
holy moses king of the jews
made his wife a pair of shoes
when the shoes began to wear
holy moses started to swear.
and the lords prayer one, my dad told me this one, it was the whole thing about 8 verses its driving me nuts trying to remember it, so i just remember some parts of it, this is something he heard of back in the 1920′s so its old, masybe your grand father heard of it
our father who art in vain,
drove cattle across the plain,
then came moses in a ray of sun,
banging out thunder on a big bass drum
thats all i remember
dave
There’s a scene in “The Simpsons Christmas Special” where Bart’s in the 4th grade class singing the alternative lyrics, and just as he sings “the Joker’s got away”, he gets yanked out by one of the teachers. Talk about comedic genius.
By my beautiful step daughter
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells
Robin is a Gay
He ran away
with a willy, on the motorway
I always knew one when i was younger:
Jingle bells, jingle bells
Robin laid an egg
uncle billy lost his willy
on the motorway, HEY!
Jingle bells
Batman smells
Robin laid an egg
The Batmobile lost its wheel
And Santa lost a leg
Heard this one in the 80′s in Los Angeles: jingle bells shotgun shells Tom Bradley’s our Mayor Shuck and Jive give me Five burn a little hair (Michael Jackson)
Amazing how many people missed the part of this post where it asks you to say WHERE and WHAT YEAR you learned your Jingle Bells parody. :-P
I learned the “Jingle Bells/Batman smells/Robin laid an egg/Batmobile broke its wheel/And Joker got away” version in elementary school in Las Vegas, Nevada in the mid-1980s (I was born in 1980).
the actual “jingle bells, batman smells” is from the 80′s or 90′s batman animated series (sorry, it’s been well over a decade since i’ve last heard it). it went something like this:
“jingle bells, batman smells
and robin’s laid an egg
the batmobile lost a wheel
and the joker got away! HEY!
dashing through the roof,
in a one horse open tree,
busting out i go,
laughing al the WEEEEE!!!”
i think it was a Christmas special or something like that, don’t remember exactly. yet even here, in the eastern europe, there isn’t a kid above the age of 7 that doesn’t know these lyrics.
911 911 Santa clause is dead, Rudolph found a 44. and shot him in the head BANG
barbie doll barbie doll tried to save his life but G. I. Joe from mexico stabbed her in the head OW!
It was probably around 1990 or 1991 and I first heard the Batman smells version sung by Bart Simpson while he was in his Christmas play!
i made up a version about the christmas carol, it goes:
“jingle bells jingle bells
tiny tim is dead
scrooge got a butchers knife and stabbed him in his bed oh
cratchit was upset so he got a gun
he shot a bullet in his rear and the gun up scrooges bum”
jingle bells shotgun shells
rudolphs nose is broke
blitzen smashed it with some wine
and santa makes him choke
oh dashing through the snow
in a sliegh with no’ light
since rudolphs nose is broke
they are left without any sight
so,
jingle bells shotgun shells
all the deer are dead
so mrs clause no spends all her time in bed
thats what i made up :)
jingle bells shotgun shells
rudolphs nose is broke
blizen broke in with some glass
and now blitzen might choke
*chorus*
dashing through the snow
on a sliegh without no light
santa ran away
as he was with a fright
he didnt see a tree bumping into me
now i woke up under wood in the middle of the night
*end of chorus*
jingle bells shotgun shells
santa ran away
now i woke in hospital with
my my tonsils in a tray
Here’s a clip from batman,
pretty self-explanatory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Veju4PxhuGc
“I Like Christmas” — that clip is from 1992, people have been singing this since the late 60s at least.
I’m almost positive I heard the Batman Smells version by the first Christmas after the TV show premiered in January, 1966. This was in Nashville, TN, and I was in fifth grade that Christmas.
Your first version. Austin, TX. Late 60′s. I am surprised that this was national. I thought that it was just something we made up as a kid. I don’t know why I decided to look up something so silly 40 years later.
Does anyone recognize this!!!
Jingle Bells
Twilight Smells
Edward ran away!!
Bella Dies, Jacob Cries,
Harry potter all the way!!!!!!! (Hey!)
I heard this song when I was a kid growing up in australia, I would’ve been about 6 years old and Batman was on TV. The song went like this:
Jingle Bells Batman smells
Robyn fleww away
The bat mobile lost its wheel
So they all flew TAA Trans Australia Airlines)
the version I learned was:
jingle bells, batman smells
robin laid an egg
batmobile lost its wheel
and joker broke his leg
Jingle bells
Batman smells
Robin flew away
Wonder Woman lost her bussoms
Flying TAA
I heard the first one in the early 80′s. My daughter, who is now 10, has some really long gory version going around her school (there’s several verses all ending up in the hospital and Santa Claus is dead)
Jingle Bells
Arsenal smells!
City go away!
Liverpool suck!
Chelsea yuck!
United all the way ♥
I wasn’t 40 when you posted this but I *cough*am*cough* now… LOL! I was looking up the lyrics and found your post. I first heard the first version around the mid/late 70s (~75-77), in Los Angeles, CA.
jingle bells, batman smells, roben laid an egg! wonder woman did a fart and blew of santas head yay!…..
Angry Birds version
Jingle bells, piggies smell, the White Bird laid an egg…
I first heard some kids singing the “Jingle bells batman smells …” version in 1993 in Tucson. When I was a kid back in the late 50′s early 60′s we pretty much stuck to the regular lyrics except for “oh what fun it is to ride in grandma’s chevrolet” although when ever my sister and I sang the song together we had to race to see who could sing the song the fastest regardless of who was singing with us or where we were singing.
dashing throw the snow
riding piggy-back on flash
o’er fantastic four
we left flames on his ash
they got super mad
and tried to beat us up
wolveren made a scene
and really cut us up
jingle bells batman smells
robin layed an egg
the batmobele lost a wheel
the joker got away
(x2)
last summer i went to the south
to viset the north pole
spiderman was there and
played santa’s role
he wraped the toys in web
and shiped them all in bulk
to all the heros except incredebul hulk
jingle bells batman smells
robin layed an egg
the batmobele lost a wheel
the joker got away
(x2)
a year or two ago
i thought id take a bride
soon miss wonder woman
lassoed me bye her side
i thought it was true love
but she had another plan
i saw her under the misletoe
and kissing superman
jingle bells batman smells
robin layed an egg
the batmobele lost a wheel
the joker got away
(x2)
p.s sorry if any spelling mistake
North West England:
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells
Robin flew away
The Batmobile lost its wheels
On the M6 Motorway
I’ve always heard it as:
Jingle Bells
Shotgun Shells
Shootin’ all the way
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a Brand New Chevrolet!
Robin in the kitchen,
Batman in the hall,
Joker in the bathroom,
Peeing on the wall..
:} mwahaha
i heard this one when i was young, back in the day…..
jingle bells, batman smells,
robin flew away,
lost his pants in the middle of France,
and found them in Pompeii.
In the south of England in the early 80s I sang this version:
Jingle Bells,
Batman smells,
Robin flew away.
Batmobile,
Lost a wheel,
On the motorway- hey!