There's some real imagery in Tommy Thompson's
"Hot Buttered Rum"

John Prine's "Christmas In Prison"
Bob Gibson & Tom Paxton did "Box Of Candy And A Piece Of Fruit"


No Christmas gift I've ever come by,
Whether trains or homemade socks,
Has haunted me like one sweet orange
And some candy in a box.

Several years ago at Christmas
I remember it so well
I spent a very lonely Christmas
Inside a lonely prison cell.

I'd been workin' in Toronto
In a Folk Song Coffee Shop.
It was hot and it was smokey
I just didn't know how hot!

I had a run-in with the Mounties,
R-C-M-P was their name.
They didn't look like Sargeant Preston
And they didn't act the same.

They had a stack of wants and warrants
Big enough to make a book
And they were mad about my smokin'
And some other stuff I took.

And so the Magistrate presided
And he set a monstrous bail.
I said "Judge, I stand here busted."
I got hustled off to jail.

The next four months were quite a party,
Lots of time to meditate (Ommm).
It's a different world in prison,
It's a different kind of wait.

It was early in November
I first heard them tell the tale
About the Sally Army's visit
Every Christmas time in jail.

A great annual occasion,
A great Yuletide salute.
Silent Night and seedy Santa,
A Box of candy and a piece of fruit.

Yes a box of Christmas candy
And a naval orange, to boot.
I heard the old cons talk about it,
Box of candy and a piece of fruit.

Til I could almost taste the candy,
I could almost smell the fruit.
Every day a little closer,
Box of candy and a piece of fruit.

Til I had a great misfortune
Worse than all my time in jail.
Twenty third day of December
That lousy judge lowered my bail!

He did it in the Christmas Spirit.
My friends and family raised the loot,
Never knowing I'd be losing
My Box of candy and piece of fruit.

So, Virginia, there's a Santa.
And if Santa ain't too mean
He owes me a box of candy
And a fuckin' tangerine!