A 'Morning Edition' Singalong: Follow Us In Merry Measure

By NPR Staff

Published December 18, 2013 at 1:59 AM CST

Want to be on NPR's airwaves? You'll have to sing for it.

Please. Don't leave us hangin'.

Send us your voices (or your video if you're so inspired) by the end of the weekend, and we'll pull them all together into one crazy chorus of "Deck the Halls." The more the merrier. Next week, we'll play it for you — however beautiful or discombobulating it may sound.

How Do You Do This?

Easy. There are three simple steps:

1. Listen to David Greene and Linda Wertheimer sing "Deck the Halls" for your starting pitch and tempo:

2. Record yourself. (If you're not sure how to do that, check out our tips at the bottom of this page.)

3. Send it to us at singalong@npr.org by the end of this weekend. If you're sending a video, please just upload it to YouTube and send us the link. In your email to us, please include your name and how to pronounce it.

The Lyrics

Deck the halls with boughs of holly

Fa la la la la, la la la la

'Tis the season to be jolly

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Don we now our gay apparel

Fa la la, la la la, la la la

Troll the ancient Yuletide carol

Fa la la la la, la la la la

See the blazing Yule before us

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Strike the harp and join the chorus

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Follow me in merry measure

Fa la la, la la la, la la la

While I tell of Yuletide treasure

Fa la la la la, la la la la

Tips for Recording Yourself

Not sure how to record an MP3 file? If you have a smartphone, it's probably easiest to use it.

For iPhone users, there's a recording feature on the phone called "Voice Memos," typically hiding in your utilities. (The icon for it in iOS 7 looks like a digital audio wave.) After launching the app, you'll see a red button. Hit it to start recording. When you're done, click "done." Enter a name for your new voice memo and press OK. Now click on the recording and hit the send icon on the bottom left to email it to singalong@npr.org. (If you have iOS 6, you can follow this tutorial.)

Android users, check out this app. (It's free.)

If you don't have a smartphone, fear not! You can use the microphone on your computer to record yourself singing. Then put the recording in an email and send it to singalong@npr.org.