Eric Clapton - Christmas Tears [Live] (1998)

Raised by his grandparents and led to believe that his mother was actually his sister, Eric Clapton received an acoustic Hoyer guitar for his thirteenth birthday, but after becoming frustrated with it, didn’t really dedicate himself to playing it until he was fifteen. By the age of sixteen, he was already earning the reputation of being a fantastic player. Less than four years later, “Clapton is God” was commonly found around London, the graffiti being made by fans when he was barely twenty years old. After starring in numerous bands such as The Yardbirds, Cream, Derek and the Dominos, and others in the ‘60s, he finally turned toward a solo career in the ‘70s onward. As stated in a previous feature on this artist, there is far too much that could be said about this legend that could ever be summarized in this small space.

This song was originally released by Freddie King in 1961. This version of the song was performed by Eric Clapton at a benefit concert in Washington, D.C., celebrating the thirteenth anniversary of the founding of the Special Olympics. Held by then-President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary in December 1998, the song was one of three that Clapton performed in that night. A year later, in October 1999, the songs performed that night were released on A Very Special Christmas Live, put out by A&M/Interscope Records.



Eric Clapton - Christmas Tears [Live] (1998)

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Lyrics:

I hear sleigh bells ring
I haven’t heard a word from you in years
I hear sleigh bells ringin’
But I haven’t heard a word from you in years
I hear choirs singin’
And I’m just sittin’ here cryin’ Christmas tears

Everybody’s singin’ “Merry Christmas”
As they watch the starry sky filled with reindeer
Everybody’s singin’ “Merry Christmas”
As they watch the starry sky filled with reindeer
I’m smilin’ on the outside
But on the inside I’m cryin’ Christmas tears

You been gone such a long, long time
But it’s Christmas and I can’t get you off of my mind
Seems like you been gone a hundred years or more
But if you were here with me now
I’d hang “Merry Christmas” on my door

I need ya darling
Kiss and hold me tight
I need ya darling
On a lonely Christmas night
And as I sit and think of the lonely years
I can’t help but cry, oh, Christmas tears
Oh, Christmas tears