Come they told me, 
A drought is here, 
In Somalia, 
No rain this year. 
In times of sorrow, where is love to be found?
Can grace still heal, when hope feels drowned?

Shall I honour Him? Pa rum pum pum pum,
Will He come?

I have no water, 
No crops to share, 
In Ethiopia, 
The land’s laid bare. 
I’ll play my drum, but where can hope be found?
In this land of suffering, will grace resound? 

Is all that I can do, pa rum pum pum pum, 
Play my drum? 

I’ll keep on drumming, 
Though dust is high, 
In Kenya’s plains, 
We reach for the sky. 
For in the drought, is He here with me? 
In this world of sorrow, is there a way to see? 

Will He feed me? Pa rum pum pum pum 
Me and my mum?

---

10 of 25 Christmas carols with revised lyrics for Advent & Christmas Day reflections 2024, can be sung to the relevant tune.

Full disclosure, ChatGPT has been utilised in the developing of this revised version of the Little Drummer Boy which touches on current affairs with reference to the drought in sub-Saharan Africa, while incorporating biblical references by or about Jesus (Jeremiah 14:1-2, Romans 8:35, Matthew 2:11, Revelation 22:20). The hope is that, amidst the division and suffering, a message of peace, justice, hope and reconciliation remains.