Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own radio show, The Wayfaring Stranger, which popularized traditional folk songs. In 1942, he appeared in Irving Berlin's This Is the Army and became a major star of CBS Radio. In the 1960s, he successfully crossed over into country music, recording hits such as "A Little Bitty Tear" and "Funny Way of Laughin'". Ives was also a popular film actor through the late 1940s and '50s. His film roles included parts in So Dear to My Heart (1948) and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958), as well as the role of Rufus Hannassey in The Big Country (1958), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Ives is often associated with the Christmas season. He did voice-over work as Sam the Snowman, narrator of the classic 1964 Christmas television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Ives also worked on the special's soundtrack, including the songs "A Holly Jolly Christmas" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", both of which continue to chart annually on the Billboard holiday charts into the 2020s.
I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
Burl Ives Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
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.
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.”
In Burl Ives's song "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day," the singer hears the sound of Christmas bells ringing and their old familiar carols playing. The words they repeat of "peace on earth, good will to men" are both wild and sweet. The singer reflects on how the belfries of all Christendom have rolled along the unbroken song of peace on earth throughout the day. As the bells continue to ring, the world revolves from night to day, and the voice, chime, and chant of peace on earth become more sublime. However, in despair, the singer bows their head and declares that hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth.
Nevertheless, the bells peal even more loudly and deeply and declare that "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep." The message conveyed by the bells is that even though the wrong may seem to be prevailing, the right will ultimately triumph. It is a message of hope that peace on earth and good will to men will prevail in the end. This song is a reflection on the state of the world and society, and it resonates even today. It is a reminder that, in spite of all the hardships and challenges faced by mankind, we need to remain hopeful and never lose faith.
Line by Line Meaning
I heard the bells on Christmas day
I heard the bells ringing on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
The familiar Christmas carols were playing
And wild and sweet the words repeat
The words were being repeated in a lively and sweet manner
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
The words were about peace and good will towards all
And thought how, as the day had come,
I thought that as Christmas day had arrived,
The belfries of all Christendom
The bell towers of all Christian churches
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Were singing an unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
About peace on earth and good will for all people.
Till ringing, singing on its way
Continuing to ring and sing all along its way
The world revolved from night to day,
The world turned from night into day
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
The singing, ringing and chanting was of a divine quality
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
About peace on earth and good will for all people.
And in despair I bowed my head
Feeling hopeless, I bowed my head
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
I thought to myself that there is no peace on earth
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Because hate is so strong, and it contradicts the message of the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”
Which is about peace on earth and goodwill toward people.
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
But suddenly the bells rang out even louder and more deeply
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
And then I heard the message that God is not dead or asleep
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
That wrongness will ultimately fail and rightness will succeed
With peace on earth, good will to men.”
And this will lead to peace on earth and goodwill among people.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Capitol CMG Publishing, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: John Mark Hall, Dale Oliver, Bernie Herms
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@masonluster2208
The verse where he sings "there is no peace on earth,... always makes me tear up when I try to sing along. I can just imagine the writer's despair in those words.
@jcf4733
Thank you for posting this version.... It has a lot to say. God is not dead. The Good will prevail. Amen..........
@StevenTorrey
A beautiful song, beautifully sung. A terribly sad song reminding us for many people Christmas is a time of profound sadness, people who have suffered devastating loss, the devastation highlight at the Christmas season with its enforce jollity.
@Ademis
It is important in these times to remember one's faith and this song always ignites it when I need it thank yoiu for this post
@johannstormenssonn6720
one of my childhood. favorites. listened to it, repeatedly. Burl Ives. Ah, The Magick...
@westernkitty
such a beautiful song
@danab47
I got to see the Longfellow Mansion in Boston and see where his wife died in a house fire...actually she caught on fire when she tripped near a window holding a candle. What a lovely song, lovely man...and hope for us to see our Risen King one day when this world is finally ended!
@stevepatterson8995
Awesome...thanks for sharing
@VikingBiking1946
Y'all just won me a book of unaccompanied Christmas carol arrangements for solo euphonium. The publisher put up a "name this tune" contest on Facebook. Nobody could figure it out, but I jumped to YouTube, and this was the first video that came up. PaulDavid's comment about Johnny Marks sealed the deal.
@smittysmeee
Ha! Good for us.