A young boy just out of high school, Gene Autry worked in a railway telegraph office in a Midwest Oklahoma town. Occasionally he’d pluck away at his guitar and sing during slow days. One night, a stranger appeared, listened while Autry performed, and said, “Young feller, you’re wasting your time here.” It was Will Rogers.
The rest is history. Gene Autry took Rogers’ advice and began singing professionally. He became well-known for his Christmas songs. When song writers Walter “Jack” Nelson and Steve Rollins saw what success Gene Autry was having in 1949, after his recording of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” they decided to write another for him. And thus, “Frosty the Snowman” was written, and first recorded by Gene Autry and the Cass Country Boys in 1950. The song, which is a story about a snowman that magically comes to life and enjoys some adventures with children, was an instant hit. It has seen numerous recordings after Autry, as well as adaptations into TV shows, and has worked its way into the standard musical repertoire of Christmas favorites.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Lyrics
Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul,
With a corncob pipe and a button nose
And two eyes made out of coal.
Frosty the snowman is a fairy tale, they say,
He was made of snow but the children
Know how he came to life one day.
There must have been some magic in that
Old silk hat they found.
For when they placed it on his head
He began to dance around.
O, Frosty the snowman
Was alive as he could be,
And the children say he could laugh
And play just the same as you and me.
Thumpety thump thump,
Thumpety thump thump,
Look at Frosty go.
Thumpety thump thump,
Thumpety thump thump,
Over the hills of snow.
Frosty the snowman knew
The sun was hot that day,
So he said, “Let’s run and
We’ll have some fun
Now before I melt away.”
Down to the village,
With a broomstick in his hand,
Running here and there all
Around the square saying,
Catch me if you can.
He led them down the streets of town
Right to the traffic cop.
And he only paused a moment when
He heard him holler “Stop!”
For Frosty the snow man
Had to hurry on his way,
But he waved goodbye saying,
“Don’t you cry,
I’ll be back again some day.”
Thumpety thump thump,
Thumpety thump thump,
Look at Frosty go.
Thumpety thump thump,
Thumpety thump thump,
Over the hills of snow.