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 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.

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, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men."

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.

Overall Meaning

The song "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day" by Frank Sinatra paints a picture of the Christmas season while also commenting on the issues of the world. The song starts with the singer hearing the bells ringing and familiar carols being sung. The words being sung talk about peace on earth and goodwill towards men. The singer also reflects on the day the bells are ringing and thinks about all of the churches in Christendom that are also ringing their bells and singing for peace.

However, the singer is then faced with despair as they realize that there is still so much hate in the world that overshadows the beautiful message of peace on earth. The bells continue to ring, but this time, they are ringing louder and deeper. The message changes, and it is a reminder that God is not dead and will not sleep while there is still evil in the world. The bells then ring out, proclaiming that eventually, the wrong will fail, and the right will prevail with peace and goodwill for all. The song ends with the world revolving from night till day, and the message of peace on earth and goodwill towards men continues to sing around us.

Line by Line Meaning

I heard the bells on Christmas day
The singer heard the bells ringing on Christmas day, signaling the start of the holiday season.

Their old familiar carols play,
The bells play the familiar Christmas carols that the singer has heard for years.

And wild and sweet the words repeat
The words sung by the bells are full of wild energy and sweetness.

Of peace on earth, good will to men.
The words repeated by the bells convey a message of peace and goodwill towards all people on Earth.

I thought how, as the day had come,
The artist reflects on the significance of the day, as he hears the bells ringing.

The belfries of all Christendom
The singer imagines all the bells of Christendom ringing in unity.

Had rolled along th' unbroken song
The singer imagines the bells creating a unbroken song, with each note rolling into the next.

Of peace on earth, good will to men.
The song created by the bells is one that emphasizes peace and goodwill towards all.

And in despair I bowed my head
The artist becomes overwhelmed with despair as he thinks about the state of the world.

"There is no peace on earth," I said,
The artist feels that there is no hope for peace on Earth.

"For hate is strong and mocks the song
The singer believes that hate is too strong and undermines the message of peace in the song.

Of peace on earth, good will to men."
The artist reiterates that the song is one of peace and goodwill towards all, but feels that it is not realistic.

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
The bells ring even louder, interrupting the singer's thoughts.

"God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The bells interrupt the singer to remind him that God is not dead, nor is He sleeping.

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
The message of the song is that wrong will eventually fail and the right will prevail, bringing peace to Earth.

With peace on earth, good will to men."
The bells ring out a message of hope for peace on Earth and goodwill towards all, strengthening the artist's faith.

Till ringing, singing on its way
The melody of the bells continue ringing and singing, piercing through the artist's despair.

The world revolved from night to day,
The world is transformed by the song from darkness to light.

A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
The song of the bells takes on the form of a powerful and beautiful voice, chime, and chant.

Of peace on earth, good will to men.
The song of the bells culminates in a message of peace on Earth and goodwill towards all people.

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Mike

on The Lady Is A Champ

10w

eight

She gets too hungry for dinner at eight
She can't eat late and stay up all night, because unlike society types, she has to get up in the morning.

She likes the theatre and never comes late
She cares more about seeing the play than being seen making an entrance.

She never bothers with people she'd hate
Her friends are friends, not social trophies.

Doesn't like crap games with barons or earls
While barrns and earls probably don't play craps, she associates with friends, not people to be seen with.

Won't go to Harlem in ermine and pearls
She doesn't "slum", the practice of the rich in the 30's, when the song was written, of touring poor neighborhoods dressed in rich clothes to "tut, tut" about the deplorable conditions, and congratulate each other for "caring about the poor"

Won't dish the dirt with the rest of the girls
Doesn't trade gossip for acceptance among an in-crowd

She likes the free, fresh wind in her hair
She cares more about how her hair feels than conforming with current hair fashions

Hates California, it's cold and it's damp
Since most of California is noticeably warmer and / or drier than New York, where the play the song was written for is set, this is probably a facetious excuse to like what she likes.

And she won't go to Harlem in Lincoln's or Ford's
Another reference to slumming, but facetious, since Lincolns and Fords were middle-class, not luxury brands when the lyric was written

Anonymous

on Try a Little Tenderness

Here are the correct lyrics

Try A Little Tenderness - Frank Sinatra - Lyrics

Oh she may be weary
Women do get wearied
Wearing that same old shabby dress
And when she’s weary
You try a little tenderness

You know she’s waiting
Just anticipating things she’ll may never possess
While she is without them
Try just a little bit of tenderness

It’s not just sentimental
She has her grieve and her care
And the words that soft and gentle
Makes it easier to bear
You wont regret it
Women don't forget it
Love is their whole happiness
And it’s all so easy
Try a little tenderness

Musical Interlude

And, it’s all so easy
Try a little tenderness