I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day facts for kids
Quick facts for kids I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day |
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| by John Baptiste Calkin (1848), Johnny Marks (1956), and others |
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| 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 well-known Christmas carol. It comes from an 1863 poem called "Christmas Bells" by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The song describes the narrator hearing Christmas bells during the American Civil War. At first, the narrator feels sad, thinking that "hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men." But after feeling despair, the song ends with the bells ringing loudly. They declare that "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep" and that eventually there will be "...peace on earth, good will to men."
Contents
The Story Behind the Song
In 1861, two years before writing this poem, Longfellow faced a very sad time. His second wife, whom he loved very much, died in an accidental fire. Then, in 1863, during the American Civil War, Longfellow's oldest son, Charles Appleton Longfellow, joined the Union Army. He did this without his father's permission.
Longfellow found out about it from a letter dated March 14, 1863. Charles wrote, "I have tried hard to resist the temptation of going without your leave but I cannot any longer." He added, "I feel it to be my first duty to do what I can for my country and I would willingly lay down my life for it if it would be of any good." Charles quickly became a lieutenant. However, in November, he was badly hurt in the Battle of Mine Run. Charles eventually got better, but he could no longer be a soldier.
Longfellow wrote the poem on Christmas Day in 1863. "Christmas Bells" was first printed in February 1865. It appeared in Our Young Folks, a magazine for young people. Some parts of the poem that are not usually sung mention the Civil War. The famous line "peace on Earth, goodwill to men" comes from Luke 2:14 in the King James Version of the Bible.
The Original Poem's Words
Here are the original words from Longfellow's poem:
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!
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!
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!
Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
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."
How the Poem Became a Song
The poem was first set to music in 1872. An English organ player named John Baptiste Calkin used the poem for a processional song. He used a tune called "Waltham" that he had created earlier, around 1848. Calkin's version of the carol was the most common one for a long time. The poem has also been set to a tune by Joseph Mainzer from 1845.
More recently, new melodies have been created. The most famous one was made in 1956 by Johnny Marks.
Bing Crosby recorded the song on October 3, 1956. He used Marks's melody and sang verses 1, 2, 6, and 7. It was released as a single song and reached number 55 on the Music Vendor chart. Music magazines like Billboard and Variety praised the record. They said it looked like a big hit for Christmas 1956. Marks's tune has been recorded over 60 times by different artists. It has sold more than 5 million copies in total.
In 2008, a contemporary Christian music group called Casting Crowns had a number one Christian hit with "I Heard the Bells." This song was from their album Peace on Earth. Their song is not exactly the same as the original poem or carol. It uses parts of verses 1, 6, 7, and 3, but also adds a new chorus.
In Books and Movies
In chapter five of his 1962 novel Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury describes this carol as "immensely moving, overwhelming." He said it was powerful no matter when it was sung. The carol creates an interesting contrast to the evil that Mr. Dark's carnival brings to the town in the story. In the 1983 movie based on the novel, Mr. Dark (Jonathan Pryce) and Charles Halloway (Jason Robards) both quote lines from the carol. This happens when they meet in the town's library.
See also
