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soniclettuce t1_izcxefx wrote

Reply to comment by T_that_is_all in Swans: The ultimate gift from your true love [OC] by TrueBirch

Read the lyrics...

>On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me A partridge in a pear tree

>On the second day of Christmas my true love sent to me Two turtle doves, And a partridge in a pear tree.

You're clearly getting both things on the second day. And so on as the days continue.

There's no time travel you're just getting duplicate gifts every following day.

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SwarthyWalnuts t1_izcy7yv wrote

Or the lyricist is just reiterating the gifts received on previous days.

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soniclettuce t1_izczg67 wrote

That would be a pretty weird way to use the word "and".

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SwarthyWalnuts t1_izdsekz wrote

Not if it’s simply a list of gifts given in prior days. I’ve always interpreted each verse as two separate thoughts: a gift given on a certain day followed by a listing of all prior gifts. I think this is plausible due to many of the singers’ renditions of this song vocally drawing out the current days gift, sometimes followed by a brief pause, and then running straight through the list of past gifts, as if keeping track or running tally.

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robodut t1_izd9rvv wrote

Local radio station here in Hawaii does this. Every year they calculate the cumulative cost of all the gifts and they do it this way where everything is given multiple times so I've always thought that's how it was.

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