I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day

I remember when I was a little girl, my Grandma would play I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day on the organ. She bought the sheet music so it must have been a song she liked. I now have that piece of sheet music.

As I grow older, many songs and hymns have come to have a deeper meaning to me than they did in my youth. One of those is this Christmas song . The words were written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, but the theme of right prevailing over wrong comes right out of Scripture.

I love the way this song builds up to the fourth verse, from despair to hope.

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, goodwill to men.

I thought as now this day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rung so long unbroken song
Of peace on earth, goodwill 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, goodwill to men."

http://www.rienzihills.com/ChristmasSing/iheardthebells.htm