Sparked by his childhood passion for the Metropolitan Opera, Simeone sought a career as a concert pianist and eventually attended the Juilliard School of Music for three years before leaving to take work at CBS as an arranger for bandleader Fred Waring.
Carol of the Bells
Harry Simeone Chorale Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sweet silver bells
Hark! how the bells
Sweet silver bells
All seem to say,
"Throw cares away."
Christmas is here
Bringing good cheer
(Ding dong)
To young and old
(Ding dong)
Meek and the bold
Ding, dong, ding, dong
That is their song
With joyful ring
All caroling
One seems to hear
Words of good cheer
From ev'rywhere
Filling the air
Oh how they pound,
Raising the sound,
O'er hill and dale,
Telling their tale.
Gaily they ring
While people sing
Songs of good cheer,
Christmas is here.
Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas,
Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas.
On, on they send
On without end
Their joyful tone
To ev'ry home
Hark! how the bells
Sweet silver bells
All seem to say,
"Throw cares away."
Christmas is here
(Ding dong)
Bringing good cheer
(Ding dong)
To young and old
(Ding dong)
Meek and the bold
Ding, dong, ding, dong
That is their song
With joyful ring
All caroling
One seems to hear
Words of good cheer
From ev'rywhere
Filling the air
Oh how they pound,
Raising the sound,
O'er hill and dale,
Telling their tale.
Gaily they ring
While people sing
Songs of good cheer,
Christmas is here.
Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas,
Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas.
On, on they send
On without end
Their joyful tone
To ev'ry home
Hark! how the bells
Sweet silver bells
All seem to say,
"Throw cares away."
Hark! how the bells
Sweet silver bells
Ring ding a-ling
Ring ding a-ling
Ring ding dong
Ding dong ding dong
The lyrics of Harry Simeone Chorale's "Carol of the Bells" essentially describe the ringing of the Christmas bells which signify the arrival of the holiday season. The bells are said to bring good cheer and a message to "throw cares away," an apt message during a time of celebration. The lyrics also indicate that the bells are not just for the young and bold but also for the old and meek, spreading cheer to everyone. The song describes how the sound of the bells fills the air with words of good cheer, and the people sing along with the bells merrily.
The final verse of the song speaks of how the bells send their joyful tone to every home, ringing and singing its carol with no end. We can interpret these lyrics as a call to celebrate with family and spread the cheer around, a reminder of the joy that Christmas brings. The song captures the excitement and anticipation of the holiday season with its upbeat melody, and combined with the lyrics, it has become one of the timeless classics of the season.
Line by Line Meaning
Hark! how the bells
Listen closely to the sound of the bells
Sweet silver bells
The bells are pleasant to hear and are likely made of silver
All seem to say, "Throw cares away."
The bells' sound has a message of letting go of worries
Christmas is here (Ding dong)
The holiday season has arrived and the bells signal its arrival
Bringing good cheer (Ding dong)
The bells also bring happiness with their ringing
To young and old (Ding dong)
Everyone, regardless of age, can enjoy the Christmas spirit signaled by the bells
Meek and the bold
Both humble and brave people can embrace the holiday season
Ding, dong, ding, dong
The bells sound like this
That is their song
The pattern of the bells' ringing can be considered their 'song'
With joyful ring
The bells are ringing happily
All caroling
Like carolers, the bells are singing a song for the holiday
One seems to hear
It's as if one can hear the cheerful message of the bells everywhere
Words of good cheer
The sound of the bells has a positive, uplifting message
From ev'rywhere
The bells' sound seems to come from all around
Filling the air
The bells' sound is pervasive and abundant
Oh how they pound,
The bells' sound is strong and powerful
Raising the sound,
The sound of the bells seems to get louder and more intense
O'er hill and dale,
The bells' sound travels across the countryside
Telling their tale.
The bells' sound tells the story of the holiday season
Gaily they ring
The bells are ringing joyfully
While people sing
As the bells ring, people are also singing festive songs
Songs of good cheer,
The songs being sung carry a message of happiness and positivity
Merry, Merry, Merry, Merry Christmas,
A jovial refrain wishing a happy Christmas season to everyone
On, on they send
The bells' sound keeps on traveling
On without end
The message of the bells seems to continue infinitely
Their joyful tone
The bells' sound is notably cheerful
To ev'ry home
The bells' message reaches every household
Ring ding a-ling
An onomatopoeic description of the bell sound
Ring ding dong
Another way to describe the sound of the bells
Contributed by Aiden J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.