This is the beginning of Tim Burton's film "The Nightmare Before Christmas", and its best song: "This is Halloween".

'Twas a long time ago, longer now than it seems, in a place that perhaps you've seen in your dreams.  For the story that you are about to be told, took place in the holiday worlds of old.  Now, you've probably wondered where holidays come from.  If you haven't, I'd say it's time you begun.


Boys and girls of every age
Wouldn't you like to see something strange?
Come with us and you will see
This, our town of Halloween

This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Pumpkins scream in the dead of night
This is Halloween, everybody make a scene
Trick or treat till the neighbours gonna die of fright
It's our town, everybody scream
In this town of Halloween

I am the one hiding under your bed
Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red
I am the one hiding under your stairs
Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair
This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!

In this town we call home
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song
In this town, don't we love it now?
Everybody's waiting for the next surprise

Round that corner, man hiding in the trash can
Something's waiting now to pounce, and how you'll scream
Scream! This is Halloween
Red 'n' black, slimy green
Aren't you scared?
Well, that's just fine
Say it once, say it twice
Take the chance and roll the dice
Ride with the moon in the dead of night
Everybody scream, everybody scream
In our town of Halloween

I am the clown with the tear-away face
Here in a flash and gone without a trace
I am the "who" when you call, "Who's there?"
I am the wind blowing through your hair
I am the shadow on the moon at night
Filling your dreams to the brim with fright

This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!
Halloween! Halloween!

Tender lumplings everywhere
Life's no fun without a good scare
That's our job, but we're not mean
In our town of Halloween
In this town
Don't we love it now?
Everyone's waiting for the next surprise

Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back
And scream like a banshee
Make you jump out of your skin
This is Halloween, everybody scream
Won't ya please make way for a very special guy
Our man Jack is king of the pumpkin patch
Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King now

This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!
In this town we call home
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song
La la-la la, Halloween! Halloween! (etc.)

'TWAS= It was (it sounds old fashinoned or poetical).

FOR THE STORY...= Because the story...

IN THE WORLDS OF OLD= A very very long time ago. They say "in the holiday worlds of old" because he's talking about the world where holidays come from.

PUMPKINS= An orange vegetable very similar to watermelons. They are made into a scary face and used for decoration on Halloween (in the USA).

IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT= Deep in the night, when it's really late and dark.

EVERYBODY MAKE A SCENE= (a imperative). If you make a scene you behave in a very strange way.

TRICK OR TREAT= On Halloween children go from door to door saying "trick or treat". People give them some sweets (a treat), but if they don't, children can play a trick (do something unpleasant), or at least that's the theory.

DIE OF FRIGHT= If you die of fright you die because you are very scared.

GLOWING= Shining smoothly (like stars, fire). GLOWING RED is a red so intense that it looks like it's glowing (shining).

CORPSE= Cadaver. The body of a dead person.

HAIL= To greet or acclaim enthusiastically.

EVERYBODY HAIL TO THE PUMPKING SONG= This is an imperative form, he's asking people to hail to the song (if it were a present tense it would be "hails", with an S).

MAYOR= /meə*/ The head of government of a town.

DON'T WE LOVE IT NOW?= We love it so much!
This is not a question, but an exclamation. It is common (especially in AmE) to make exclamations using a negative question:
- Oh boy, isn't this funny? = Oh my God, this is so funny!

THE TRASH CAN (AmE)= The rubbish bin. The container in the street where you throw your rubbish and later they collect it and take it away for dumping.

POUNCE= Jump over a person or animal to attack them (like lions do when they attack).

SCREAM= Shout loudly, as when in terror.

WEREWOLF= A man that turns into a wolf when there is full moon.

SLIMY= With the consistency of slime (slime is very thin and wet mud, similar to mucus)

SCARED= Frightened.

TAKE THE CHANCE= Use this opportunity.

DICE= A dice is a cubic object (square, with 6 sides) and it's got a number from 1 to 6 (in the form of black dots) on every side.

ROLL THE DICE= Throw the dice and see what number you get.

TEAR-AWAY FACE= A face that you can break apart.

(I'm) HERE IN A FLASH= I appear very quickly, instantly.

(I'm) GONE WITHOUT A TRACE= I completely and suddenly disappear. A trace is some kind of signal that proves that something or somebody was there before.

GHOUL= /gu:l/ A malevolent spirit or ghost.

TO THE BRIM= To the top, completely, fully. The BRIM is the edge of something, the border. So if you fill a glass to the brim, you fill the glass completely.

FRIGHT= Sudden, intense fear.

LUMPLING= A young innocent child.

A GOOD SCARE= A big fright.

MEAN= Unpleasant.

SKELETON JACK= The name of the main character in this movie. His name is Jack and he's a skeleton.

BANSHEE= (Celtic folklore) A mythological magical creature (fairy) from Ireland. When these ladies wail (scream piteously) they are announcing that somebody is going to die very soon.

MAKE YOU JUMP OUT OF YOUR SKIN= Make you give a very big jump (because you were very frightened).

YA (coll.)= /jə/ You.