I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day. (Boston: Ticknor and Fields, February, 1865), p. 123. An Illustrated Magazine for Boys and Girls. I heard the bells on Christmas day Their old familiar carols play, And wild and sweet the words repeat Of peace on earth, good will to men. One of America's best known poets, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), contributed to the wealth of carols sung each Christmas season, when he composed the words to "I Heard the … I heard the bells on Christmas day Their old familiar carols play, And wild and sweet the words repeat Of peace on earth, good will to men. About Christmas Bells Poem Text Vol. Longfellow sat down and penned this poem on a … I heard the bells on Christmas day Their old familiar carols play, And wild and sweet the words repeat Of peace on earth, good will to men. I heard the bells on Christmas Day - The Academy of American Poets is the largest membership-based nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting American poets. I thought how, as the day had come, I thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along th'unbroken song Of peace on earth, good will to men. The original poem had seven stanzas but in 1872 John Baptiste Calkin took out two stanzas referencing the American Civil War and gave us the memorable Christmas carol we know today as "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." And in despair I bowed my head: 'There is no peace on earth, ' I said While this song is about Christmas time, there is an underlying tone of the war (The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail). This story about the carol, ‘I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,’ was updated in 2019. One of the most familiar carols we hear during the holidays is "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." It was on Christmas Day of 1863 that this 57-year-old widowed father of six children wrote the poem, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” He sought to bring to light the irony of the Christmas bells ringing “peace on earth” while the earth was full of injustice and violence. To hear Burl Ives sing I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, click here. II. I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day I heard the bells on Christmas day Their old familiar carols play, And wild and sweet the words repeat Of peace on earth, good will to men. His son had joined the war without his blessing, and was seriously injured. And thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along The unbroken song Of peace on earth, good-will to men! The story behind the song, based on a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, is very interesting. This is a simple but powerful poem. I thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along th'unbroken song Of peace on earth, good will to men. They describe the effect of the War, and the sadness of the inhumanity it had caused, so antithetical to the spirit of Christmas… It was written during the Civil War, and he had lost his wife not too long before in a fire. Original Title: Christmas Bells. Throughout the poem, Longfellow contrasts Christmas with the idea of the war in a, honest and memorable way that helps … I, No. His poem, Christmas Bells, is both beautiful and so applicable to the tragedies in the world today. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) Christmas 1863 Vocal Recording by Douglas D. Anderson: MP3 / OGG. I thought how, as the day had come, The belfries of all Christendom Had rolled along th'unbroken song Of peace on earth, good will to men. "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" by Tom Stewart December 20, 2001. Analysis. As with any composition that touches the heart of the hearer, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" flowed from the experience of Longfellow-- involving the tragic death of his wife Fanny and the crippling injury of his son Charles from war wounds. Source: J. T. Trowbridge, et al, eds., Our Young Folks. The resulting poem was the one we know as “I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day.” The poem was not intended to join the pantheon of sugary sweet Christmas carols already in place.