Peter Cottontail

    Artist: Gene Autry

    Here comes Peter Cottontail

    Hoppin’ down the bunny trail

    Hippity hoppin’, Easter’s on its way

    Bringin’ every girl and boy

    Baskets full of Easter joy

    Things to make your Easter bright and gay

    He’s got jelly beans for Tommy

    Colored eggs for sister Sue

    There’s an orchid for your mommy

    And an Easter bonnet too

    Oh! here comes Peter Cottontail

    Hoppin’ down the bunny trail

    Hippity hoppity, happy Easter Day

    Here comes Peter Cottontail

    Hoppin’ down the bunny trail

    Hippity hoppin’, Easter’s on its way

    Try to do the things you should

    Maybe if you’re extra good

    He’ll roll lots of Easter eggs your way

    You’ll wake up on Easter mornin’

    And you’ll know that he was there

    When you find those chocolate bunnies

    That he’s hiding everywhere

    Oh! here comes Peter Cottontail

    Hoppin’ down the bunny trail

    Hippity hoppity, happy Easter Day

    Background

    This is a popular Easter song composed in 1949, by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins. Due to the immense popularity of Gene Autry’s Christmas songs “Here Comes Santa Claus” and “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,” Nelson and Rollins asked Autry to record their song. It is often regarded as one of the most popular Easter songs of all time. It is often used for TV commercials around the Easter period. Gene Autry, with his careers in movies and on radio and television, defined country music for two generations of listeners, cowboy songs for much of the 20th century, and American music for much of the world.