I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day
Peter Wood Singers and Orchestra Lyrics
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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.”
The lyrics to "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day" capture the contrasting emotions of hope and despair during the Christmas season. The sound of the bells ringing, and the familiar carols being played, evoke a feeling of comfort and joy. The repetition of the words "peace on earth, good will to men" suggests a hope for a world without conflict or strife.
However, this feeling of hope is soon replaced with despair, as the singer begins to reflect on the reality of the world they live in, where hate and violence seem to prevail. In this moment of despair, the singer bows their head and acknowledges the absence of peace on earth.
But it is in this moment of darkness that the bells ring out more loudly and deeply, reminding the singer that even in the midst of despair, there is hope. The lyrics suggest that God is not dead or sleeping, and that eventually, right will prevail over wrong, bringing peace on earth and good will to men.
The song serves as a reminder that hope and despair can coexist, and that the Christmas season can bring about a sense of longing and yearning for a better world.
Line by Line Meaning
I heard the bells on Christmas day
I listened to the bells ringing on Christmas day.
Their old familiar carols play,
The familiar Christmas songs they play.
And wild and sweet the words repeat
The words repeat, wild and sweet.
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
Words of peace on earth and good will to men.
And thought how, as the day had come,
And I thought about how as the day had arrived.
The belfries of all Christendom
The steeples of Christianity
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Had been singing an unbroken song.
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
A song of peace on earth and good will to men.
Till ringing, singing on its way
Until it continued to ring and sing.
The world revolved from night to day,
The world continued to turn from night to day
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
A beautiful voice, chime, and chant.
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
Speaking of peace on earth and good will to men.
And in despair I bowed my head
Feeling hopeless, I bowed my head.
“There is no peace on earth,” I said,
I said, "there is no peace on earth."
“For hate is strong and mocks the song
Hate is too strong and makes the song seem like a mockery.
Of peace on earth, good will to men.”
Peace on earth and good will to men is impossible.
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
Then the bells rang loudly and deeply.
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
God is not dead, nor is he sleeping,
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
The wrong will eventually become unsuccessful and the right will succeed.
With peace on earth, good will to men.”
Finally, there will be peace on earth and good will to men.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., ESSENTIAL MUSIC PUBLISHING, CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP
Written by: JOHN MARK HALL, DALE OLIVER, BERNIE HERMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind