You Must Be You - Santa's Advice

You Must Be You - Santa's Advice
From the Children's Christmas Musical - "Carson the Camel"
Music and Lyrics by Alfred Sherer
Illustrations by H. Diane Granum
Vocal by Sean Mott
The adaptation of Carson the Camel, a children’s Christmas story written by Alfred D. Sherer, Sr. (© 2001), into a musical stage play is to allow the story and the music to come together through the media of stage and sound and live performance.
The story of Carson the Camel is one of a child’s enthusiasm and imagination, a mother’s love, and the wisdom of someone no less than Santa himself. It is my hope to stay true to the central theme of the story that the individual, whomever it may be, has value and purpose. And that being true to yourself, is one of the most important principles that leads to true happiness.
You Must Be You is the principal song of the musical and is sung by Santa, the Reindeer, and Carson. The title itself underscores the fatherly advice that Santa gives to Carson. Carson has an interlude during the singing of You Must Be You in which he sings a small refrain from You Are My Portrait where he is still trying to hang onto his reindeer dream. He then realizes the truth and how good it is to be himself, Carson the Camel, and finishes You Must Be You singing with joy to the audience.