| I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day | |
|---|---|
| by John Baptiste Calkin (1848), Johnny Marks (1956), and others | |
| Genre | Hymn |
| Occasion | Christmas |
| Text | Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1863) |
| Meter | 8.8.8.8. (L.M.) |
"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" is a Christmas carol based on the 1863 poem "Christmas Bells" by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.[1] The song tells of the narrator hearing Christmas bells during the American Civil War, but despairing that "hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men". After much anguish and despondency the carol concludes with the bells ringing out with resolution that "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep" and that there will ultimately be "peace on earth, good will to men".