About the Carol

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882) wrote the poem “Christmas Bells” on Christmas Day 1863, in the midst of personal grief and the American Civil War. Its familiar hymn version is most often sung to John Baptiste Calkin’s 1872 tune WALTHAM, which helped the text enter church hymnals and seasonal services. Some stanzas referring directly to the war are sometimes omitted, but the carol’s arc from sorrow to confidence remains clear.

The words begin with the sound of church bells and a weary heart, then move through doubt to renewed faith in God’s justice and mercy. The repeated line “peace on earth, good will to men” rings out as a Gospel promise that darkness will not prevail. For many, I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day has become a Christmas favourite that speaks gently to those who long for comfort and the steady hope of Christ’s coming.