I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day Easy Listening

Representative Text

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

2 I 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 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."

4 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."

5 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.

Baptist Hymnal, 1991

Author: Henry W. Longfellow

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth , D.C.L. was born at Portland, Maine, Feb. 27, 1807, and graduated at Bowdoin College, 1825. After residing in Europe for four years to qualify for the Chair of Modern Languages in that College, he entered upon the duties of the same. In 1835 he removed to Harvard, on his election as Professor of Modern Languages and Belles-Lettres. He retained that Professorship to 1854. His literary reputation is great, and his writings are numerous and well known. His poems, many of which are as household words in all English-speaking countries, display much learning and great poetic power. A few of these poems and portions of others have come into common use as hymns, but a hymn-writer in the strict sense of that term he… Go to person page >

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The inspiration for this hymn, like Horatio Spafford's "It is Well With my Soul," came out of tragedy and remorse. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, having an injured son and a dead wife, wrote his poem "Christmas Bells" on Christmas Day. The third verse, which says, "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,'" shows the depth of despair Longfellow experienced. The fourth verse shows the faith and hope in God that Longfellow had in the face of despair.

Text:

The text for this hymn is based off of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1863 poem, "Christmas Bells." The poem itself was inspired by several painful events in Longfellow's life. For one, his son Charles joined the Union army without telling Henry before he left. Eventually, Charles was severely wounded in battle. Around the same time, Longfellow's wife, Frances, tragically died from an accidental fire, which left Henry badly burned as well. Longfellow wrote his poem on Christmas Day, telling of the despair in his heart as he heard the Christmas bells play. Fortunately, this poem ends on an encouraging note, emphasizing hope and peace among men, despite the troubles of the world.

Tune:

The tune WALTHAM was written by John Baptiste Calkin in 1872, during his time as the organist at St. Thomas's Church in Camden Town. WALTHAM was written for Longfellow's poem, and became Calkin's best-known work. Although this tune is primarily used in "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," it has been paired with several other texts across the years.

When/Why/How:

As implied by the name, this song should be played in the Christmas season.

Suggested music:

For the organ:

"Carols from the Hearts"
"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"

For handbells:

"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day"

Luke Getz
Hymnary.org

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Instances

Instances (1 - 21 of 21)

Baptist Hymnal 1991 #98

Baptist Hymnal 2008 #187

Hymns for a Pilgrim People #126

Display Title: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day First Line: I heard the bells on Christmas day Tune Title: JOHN MARKS Author: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1824-1884; John Marks Meter: LM Scripture: Micah 5:5 Date: 2007 Subject: Christmas | ; Jesus Christ |

Hymns of Faith #123

Display Title: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day First Line: I heard the bells on Christmas day Tune Title: [I heard the bells on Christmas day] Author: Henry W. Longfellow Scripture: Zechariah 9:10 Date: 1980 Subject: Christ | Advent and Birth

Hymns of the Saints #250

Display Title: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day First Line: I heard the bells on Christmas Day Tune Title: WALTHAM Author: Henry W. Longfellow, 1807-1882 Scripture: Isaiah 12:2; Luke 2:14 Date: 1982 Subject: Christmas | ; Hope | ; Incarnation | ; National and World Peace | ; Sin | ; Victory |

Rejoice Hymns #231

Display Title: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day First Line: I heard the bells on Christmas day Tune Title: WALTHAM Author: Henry W. Longfellow, 1807-1882 Meter: 8.8.8.8.(L.M.) Date: 2011 Subject: Christmas |

Sing Joyfully #208

Display Title: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day First Line: I heard the bells on Christmas day Tune Title: [I heard the bells on Christmas day] Author: Henry W. Longfellow Date: 1989 Subject: Church | Militant and Trumphant; Jesus Christ | Birth; Peace |

Timeless Truths #928

Display Title: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day First Line: I heard the bells on Christmas day Tune Title: WALTHAM Author: Henry W. Longfellow Meter: 8.8.8.8 Scripture: Luke 2:13-14 Source: The Cyber Hymnal (http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/i/h/iheardtb.htm); Timeless Truths (http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/I_Heard_the_Bells_on_Christmas_Day)

Worship and Service Hymnal #40

Display Title: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day First Line: I heard the bells on Christmas day Tune Title: WALTHAM (Doane) Author: Henry W. Longfellowm 1807-1882 Date: 2006 Subject: Christ | Birth of; Citizenship, Christian | ; Jesus Christ the Savior | Christmas; Memorial Day | ; National Righteousness | ; Righteousness | ; Social Betterment |

Worship in Song #76

Include 90 pre-1979 instances

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Source: https://hymnary.org/text/i_heard_the_bells_on_christmas_day