Muddling through somehow
Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," written in 1943 for Meet Me in St. Louis and sung by Judy Garland in the film, is one of my favorite holiday tunes.
While you've likely heard it, you may not know there are versions with different lyrics—lines that, in my opinion, fundamentally alter the essence of the song.
Specifically, I'm focused on this bit: “Someday soon we all will be together, if the fates allow. Until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow”
On many tracks, you may instead hear: "Through the years we all will be together, if the fates allow. Hang a shining star upon the highest bough."
In my view, few one-liners communicate as poignantly and descriptively as "Until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow.” I've developed such a connection to this lyric that I nearly reject recordings that decided to swap it out for the other lines.
Here's an audio sampler platter of various interpretations. Which lyric do you prefer?
MUDDLE THROUGH SOMEHOW
Judy Garland, from the original Meet Me in St. Louis soundtrack
Frank Sinatra on the Dean Martin Show in 1967 (but see below!)
HANG A SHINING STAR UPON THE HIGHEST BOUGH
Sinatra doing the other version