I have to imagine that when Jack Skellington finished summarizing Christmas Town and “Sandy Claws” to his fellow residents of Halloween Town, that he never imagined it would come to this, and yet, here we are. Having whipped the citizens into a frenzy over Christmas, Jack comes up with the idea of replacing Santa and taking over his job in a few months time. To that end, he tasks Lock, Shock, and Barrel with kidnapping “Sandy Claws” so Jack can take his place. With Jack’s reaction to Christmas Town in mind, just listening to “Kidnap the Sandy Claws” leads me to believe that the trio are taking this plan in a completely different direction from what Jack intended.

Kidnap Mr. Sandy Claws?
 I wanna do it!
Let’s draw straws!
Jack said we should work together

Three of a kind
Birds of a feather
Now and forever!

La, la, la, la, la, la
La-la-la-la-la
La, la, la, la, la, la
La-la-la-la-la

Kidnap the Sandy Claws, lock him up real tight
Throw away the key and then turn off all the lights

First, we’re going to set some bait inside a nasty trap and wait
When he comes a-sniffing, we will snap the trap and close the gate
Wait! I’ve got a better plan to catch this big red lobster man
Let’s pop him in a boiling pot
And when he’s done, we’ll butter him up!

Kidnap the Sandy Claws, throw him in a box
Bury him for 90 years, then see if he talks
Then Mr. Oogie Boogie Man…
can take the whole thing over then
He’ll be so pleased, I do declare
That he will cook him rare
Wheeee!

I say that we take a cannon, aim it at his door and then
Knock three times and when he answers, Sandy Claws will be no more!
You’re so stupid! Think now
If we blow him up to smithereens, we may lose some pieces
And then Jack will beat us black and green

Kidnap the Sandy Claws, tie him in a bag
Throw him in the ocean, then see if he is sad
Because Mr. Oogie Boogie is the meanest guy around
If I were on his boogie list, I’d get out of town

 He’ll be so pleased by our success
That he’ll reward us too, I bet
Perhaps he’ll make his special brew
Of snake and spider stew (Mmmm!)

We’re his little henchmen and we take our job with pride
We do our best to please him and stay on his good side

I wish my cohorts weren’t so dumb
I’m not the dumb one
You’re no fun
Shut up!
Make me!

I’ve got something, listen now! This one is real good, you’ll see
We’ll send a present to his door
Upon there’ll be a note to read
Now, in the box we’ll wait and hide until his curiosity
Entices him to look inside
And then we’ll have him! One, two, three!

Kidnap the Sandy Claws, beat him with a stick
Lock him up for 90 years, see what makes him tick
Kidnap the Sandy Claws, chop him into bits
Mr. Oogie Boogie is sure to get his kicks
Kidnap the Sandy Claws, see what we will see
Lock him in a cage and then throw away the key…!

Ahhhhh, there IS something amiss here, isn’t there? While it was Jack who ordered the kidnapping, note that Lock, Shock, and Barrel seem more interested in pleasing Oogie-Boogie, something that foreshadows the plot that is to come. I have to say, Lock, Shock, and Barrel creep me out quite a bit. Of all the characters I’ve seen thus far, I think I like them the least (and I’m quite aware I haven’t seen Oogie-Boogie yet). At this point, given how these three look, I admit to feeling a bit scared about being properly introduced to Oogie-Boogie.

I found “Kidnap the Sandy Claws” to be a very creepy song, and clear evidence that Jack’s plans to take over Christmas are already spiraling out of control. Let me know what you think about “Kidnap the Sandy Claws” in the comments below and have a great day!

See also:

The Nightmare Before Christmas “This is Halloween” (1993)

The Nightmare Before Christmas “What’s This?” (1993)

The Nightmare Before Christmas “Town Meeting Song” (1993)

Disney/Dreamworks/Pixar/etc. Soundtracks A-Z

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