The Cyber Hymnal ‎#2815

2815. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

1 I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

2 And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along th’unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

3 Till ringing, singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

4 And in despair I bowed my head
There is no peace on earth, I said,
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

5 Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men.

These verses, usually omitted in modern hymnals, reflect the words' origin during the American civil war:

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound the carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn, the households born
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

Text Information

• First Line: I heard the bells on Christmas day
• Title: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
• Author: Henry W. Longfellow (1864)
• Language: English
• Copyright: Public Domain
• Notes: Alternate tune: MAINZER, Joseph Mainzer, circa 1845

Tune Information

• Name: WALTHAM (Calkin)
• Composer: John Baptiste Calkin (1872)
• Incipit: 13233 43445 17665
• Key: E♭ Major
• Copyright: Public Domain