‘Maybe This Christmas’ by Michael Bublé & Carly Pearce - Lyrics & Meaning

In early November, Michael Bublé - otherwise known as the King of Christmas - took to his socials to share a (hilarious) video of him doing the viral ‘Suspect Challenge’ with Carly Pearce.

At the end of the clip, they team up to reveal they've “just recorded the greatest Christmas song ever”. Shortly after, Bublé offered up a rare acoustic snippet of him performing a brief portion of the new song, ‘Maybe This Christmas’, with his wife.

Thankfully, this star-studded collaboration was released into the world as an unexpected Christmas gift on November 18th, giving us plenty of time to listen as the excitement builds ahead of December 25th. Michael Bublé, who has become synonymous with the festive season, made the bold claim on Instagram that he feels this is the most “meaningful” song he's written since his 2005 classic, ‘Home’.

Like most festive ballads, ‘Maybe This Christmas’ is piano-driven, with Michael Bublé's honeyed, soothing croons combining with the atmospheric instrumental to accentuate the emotional weight and gravitas that pervades the introspective track. Carly Pearce's sinuous delivery complements Bublé's opening verse and hook seamlessly, adding a second perspective to the bittersweet, quietly hopeful tune.

“I've been running all my life

I've been trying to get it right

Sentimentally, the thing I do well

But it's Christmas time, again

And I'm missing all my friends

A million miles away, a toast to their health”

Michael Bublé has explained via his socials that, despite being known for his joyful Christmas hits, he wanted to pen a festive song that tackles the loneliness that can often accompany the season, particularly for those who aren't spending the holiday with their family and friends. This makes the message of ‘Maybe This Christmas’ all the more pertinent, as it strikes a chord with those who are apart from their loved ones geographically, as well as those who are contending with grief.

Bublé begins ‘Maybe This Christmas’ by confessing that he feels like he's been “running” all his life as he attempts to make the right choices, with this perhaps a nod to his hectic schedule around the holidays, due to the fact that he always enjoys a streaming boom during this time of year. In reality, he suggests he just wants to be with his loved ones.

“Now it's a shot out in the dark

I'm just wishing on a star

And I wish I knew just what to do

Lord, I think I need your light

On this cold and silent night

I'm just hanging on, it's all that I can do”

Bublé calls out to God for comfort as he struggles with the loneliness of the festive season, which is exacerbated by the fact that Christmas is portrayed as a time you should spend with loved ones. He weaves in imagery related to the Nativity, as he describes wishing upon a star, which could be a reference to the star that the three wise men follow when they're making their journey to baby Jesus in the Bible.

You don't become the King of Christmas without knowing your carols, and it's therefore unsurprising that Michael Bublé includes a tip of his cap to one of the all-time greats, ‘Silent Night’.

“And all the snow

Falling down on the city, and the good souls below

It ain't the same

When it comes down and turns into rain

‘Cause it's Christmas time

I can't be alone again”

Michael Bublé adds more colour to the wintry scene by conveying how there's snow falling around him, before forlornly observing that this disappointingly turns into rain. This captures the feeling of festive cheer - represented by the snow - dissipating into misery - the gloomy rainfall - as it dawns on the protagonist that they're alone.

“You've been running through my mind

And no matter how I try

When the bells of Old St. Pat's start to ring

And it's so hard for my to hear

You're alone this time of year

And the bitterness that that cold must brings”

Carly Pearce takes the reins here, and it feels as though she could be singing to her friends and loved ones, or alternatively, singing to the first narrator, making this a long-distance love-story. Pearce appears to situate the tale in New York, mentioning the bells of the famous St. Patrick's Cathedral in the Big Apple, which holds Christmas services throughout the season. She laments how the sound of this should bring her joy, but it instead serves as yet another reminder that she's alone. Pearce also feels compassion for the person she's singing to - which could even be interpreted as the listener - as they struggle with their feelings of isolation.

“And when you're sitting in the dark

And it's falling all apart

I'll be lighting up a candle for you

I know it's sad to be alone

I wish you joy and peace and love

I wish you all the love that your heart can hold”

Carly Pearce's lines feel directed at those who are suffering, while Michael Bublé's part of ‘Maybe This Christmas comes across as being more personal and about missing his friends and family. Both verses, though, can be taken as messages of optimism for anyone listening thats find themselves grappling with loneliness this Christmas.

When sharing a teaser of ‘Maybe This Christmas, Michael Bublé explained, “So I've never done this before, I'll probably never do it again, but...people are asking about the song that we are teasing...Have you ever written a song and cried like 12 times...Listen, I wrote a Christmas song for people that might not love Christmas, because they're hurting, because they're vulnerable, because it's a tough time for a lot of people, and I wanted to write something to give some hope”.

In a collaborative Instagram post, Michael Bublé and Carly Pearce jointly outlined how special this duet is to each artist, “Sometimes the best things happen when you least expect them. This collab fell into place so seamlessly it feels like fate had a hand in it. We’re so proud of this song! We hope you love it as much as we do”.

In the comments section to the ‘Suspect Challenge’ video, Michael Bublé claimed that ‘Maybe This Christmas’ feels as momentous as his 2005 hit, ‘Home’, “Just wait amigos. I don’t think I’ve written something this meaningful since we wrote Home”.

“I've been running all my life

I've been trying to get it right

Sentimentally, the thing I do well

But it's Christmas time, again

And I'm missing all my friends

A million miles away, a toast to their health

-

Now it's a shot out in the dark

I'm just wishing on a star

And I wish I knew just what to do

Lord, I think I need your light

On this cold and silent night

I'm just hanging on, it's all that I can do

-

And all the snow

Falling down on the city, and the good souls below

It ain't the same

When it comes down and turns into rain

‘Cause it's Christmas time

I can't be alone again

-

You've been running through my mind

And no matter how I try

When the bells of Old St. Pat's start to ring

And it's so hard for my to hear

You're alone this time of year

And the bitterness that that cold must brings

-

And when you're sitting in the dark

And it's falling all apart

I'll be lighting up a candle for you

I know it's sad to be alone

I wish you joy and peace and love

I wish you all the love that your heart can hold

-

And all the snow

Falling down on the city, and the good souls below

It ain't the same

When it comes down and turns into rain

‘Cause it's Christmas time

Shouldn't be alone again

Maybe this Christmas

Don't have to be alone again”

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