got . |: chorus :| In the next verse (which is often skipped), he falls out of the sleigh and a rival laughs at him: A day or two ago, The story I must tell I went out on the snow, And on my back I fell; A gent was riding by In a one-horse open sleigh, He laughed as there I sprawling lie, But quickly drove away. Ah! |: chorus :| In the last verse, after relating his experience, he gives advice to a friend to pick up some girls, find a faster horse, and take off at full speed: Now the ground is white Go it while you're young, Take the girls tonight and sing this sleighing song; Just get a bobtailed bay Two forty as his speed Hitch him to an open sleigh And crack! you'll take the lead. |: chorus :| Notes to lyrics Original lyrics The two first stanzas and chorus of the original 1857 lyrics differed slightly from those known today. It is unknown who replaced the words with those of the modern version. Underlined lyrics are the removed lyrics from the original version. Bold lyrics are the new lyrics in the current version. Dashing thro' the snow, In a one-horse open sleigh, O'er the (fields) we go, Laughing all the way; Bells on bob tail ring, Making spirits bright, (What fun it is) to ride and sing A sleighing song tonight. |: chorus :| Jingle bells, jingle bells, Jingle all the way; Oh! what (fun) it is to ride In a one-horse open sleigh. A day or two ago I tho't I'd take a ride And soon Miss Fannie Bright Was seated by my side. The horse was lean and lank Misfortune seemed his lot He got into a drifted bank And (then) we got upsot. Melody The original 1857 version of "Jingle Bells" featured a substantially different chorus. The progression of descending chords in the original refrain (A–E/G–Fm–C–D–A/E–E7–A; in Roman numeral analysis, I–V6–vi–V/vi–IV–I–V7–I) bears some resemblance to that of Pachelbel's Canon. The verses, on the other hand, have mostly the same melody (with some minor simplifications) in modern renditions as they did in 1857. The origin of the simpler, modern refrain is unknown, but it dates back at least 1898, when the oldest surviving phonograph recording of the song was released through Edison Records. The "Jingle Bells" tune is used in French