I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Richard Marx (Holiday) 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.
I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along the unbroken song
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!
The lyrics to "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" by Richard Marx (Holiday) capture the conflict between the season's message of peace and the realization that the world is not always a peaceful place. The bells ring out in familiar tunes, proclaiming peace on earth and goodwill to men, yet the singer cannot help but feel despair at the state of the world. The hatred and violence that exist seem to mock the idea of a peaceful world. The singer bows their head in despair, feeling as though the message of Christmas has been lost.
However, the bells then ring louder and deeper, declaring that God is not dead and that the right shall ultimately prevail. The song ends on a hopeful note, with the world revolving from night to day and the sound of the bells ringing out a message of peace and goodwill. The message of the song is that even in the darkest of times, there is hope for peace and the power to overcome adversity.
Line by Line Meaning
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
The singer heard the ringing of bells on the day of Christmas
Their old familiar carols play,
The singer heard the traditional Christmas songs being played
And wild and sweet the words repeat
The singer heard the words of the songs being repeated in a joyful and melodious manner
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
The songs contain the message of peace and goodwill to all humanity
I thought how, as the day had come,
Upon hearing the carols, the artist began reflecting on the significance of the day
The belfries of all Christendom
The bell towers of all Christian churches
Had rolled along the unbroken song
Had played an uninterrupted song of
Of peace on earth, good will to men.
Peace and Goodwill to all humanity was the content of the song
And in despair I bowed my head:
The artist became sad and hopeless
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"Peace cannot be found on earth" were the artist's thoughts
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
"Hatred is powerful and it ridicules the message of
Of peace on earth, good will to men."
Peace and Goodwill to humanity"
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
The bells rang more intensely and loudly
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
"God is alive and vigilant"
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
Injustice will lose, and justice will triumph
With peace on earth, good will to men."
There will be peace and goodwill to all humanity"
Till, ringing singing, on its way,
The sound of the bells continued ringing and singing
The world revolved from night to day,
The world transitioned from darkness to bright light
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
A beautiful and uplifting voice, chime, and chant were heard
Of peace on earth, good will to men!
The message of peace and goodwill to all humanity was heard
Lyrics © ESSENTIAL MUSIC PUBLISHING, CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP
Written by: BERNIE HERMS, DALE OLIVER, JOHN MARK HALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind