"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" is a Christmas song, composed by Johnny Marks to the words of a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. His poem, "Christmas Bells," is about hope in dark places and was written in 1864 during the American Civil War. It was written as Longfellow dealt with the grief from the loss of his son in that war.
The poem was set to music shortly thereafter, and in 1956, Marks composed a new melody for the first two stanzas of the song, adapting the words slightly as necessary. The song has become a Christmas standard, with recorded versions by many artists, including Harry Belafonte, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Burl Ives.
Lyrics[]
- 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
- I thought as now this day had come
- The belfries of all Christendom
- Had rung so long the unbroken song
- Of peace on Earth good will to men
- 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
- Then pealed the bells more loud and deep
- God is not dead or doth He sleep
- The wrong shall fail the right prevail
- With peace on Earth good will to men
Appearances in Christmas specials[]
- Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (1979)
- A Muppet Family Christmas (1987) - Statler and Waldorf sing the song as part of the Muppets' "Christmas Carol Sing" medley at the end. Unfortunately, due to Henson only securing the special's music rights for television, this segment of the medley is cut from the special's home video releases in the United States.