Life occasionally throws us a curveball, causing us to reevaluate what we thought we understood. That happened to me a few weeks ago, while reading an email from a political writer, one I rarely agree with. Before I closed the email, something at the bottom of the page caught my attention: a picture from the Civil War, one of my favorite periods of American history. The photo was linked to a video explaining the origins of the popular song, I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day.
“I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play
And mild and sweet their songs repeat
Of peace on earth good will to men”
I had listened to this song hundreds (thousands?) of times by singers such as Kate Smith, Burl Ives, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, The Carpenters, and many others. The versions were based on the same melody, with slight differences in tempo and style. I always liked the song, but would not have ranked it among my holiday favorites.
“And the bells are ringing (peace on earth)
Like a choir they’re singing (peace on earth)
In my heart I hear them (peace on earth)
Peace on earth, good will to men”
After watching the short video, I followed up with other searches over the next hour and realized something profound: I had never really understood the words, let alone grasped the profound emotions of the man and events behind this popular song.
A Poet’s Journey To Christmas Day
Despite my reading quite a few books about Civil War history, I had missed one of its most poignant stories. I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day is based on a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882). I was familiar with many of his poems, and his abolitionist work leading up to the Civil War. But I had not made the connection between the great poet and the Christmas tune.
“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!”
Longfellow penned his verse on Christmas Day, 1863. The year would prove pivotal in the war between the Union and the Confederacy, with the momentum shifting toward the Union after the battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg. But there were few reasons to celebrate. Our nation had witnessed some of the bloodiest battles in our history — not fought against foreign enemies, but between its own citizens. Fathers, sons, brothers, and cousins found themselves not only on different ideological sides of the war, but marching toward one another on battlefields with rifles drawn. Most wondered if this war would prove to be the end of the great American experiment.
“But the bells are ringing (peace on earth)
Like a choir singing (peace on earth)
Does anybody hear them? (peace on earth)
Peace on earth, good will to men!”
Two years earlier, Longfellow’s wife, Fanny, had died shortly after her dress caught on fire in a freak accident. Longfellow had attempted to save her. He had been burned so badly he was unable to attend her funeral. He wore a beard the rest of his life because his burns prevented him from shaving.
Longfellow spiraled into a deep depression, writing very little over the next two years. He wondered if he might ever recover. So did many of his family, friends, colleagues, and admirers.
On Christmas day in 1863, Longfellow sat in a Washington, DC hospital, nursing his son, a 2nd Lieutenant in the Union Army, from a gunshot wound he received a few weeks earlier. He thought of all he and so many others had been through and what awaited them in the coming year. And he began to write.
“Then rang the bells more loud and deep
God is not dead, nor does he sleep (peace on earth, peace on earth)
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men”
A Cry To Heaven
One can only imagine Longfellow’s pain as he considered the words of the Bible: “peace on earth, good will toward men.” Against the barbarism, suffering, destruction, and death of the Civil War, such words must have struck him as empty at best, a cruel joke at worst.
The poem was adapted for music in 1872, but would not become widely popular until Bing Crosby recorded it in 1956. Crosby’s version of the song was a bit somber, but not dissimilar from other Christmas tunes such as What Child Is This and Mary Did You Know?
“Then 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”
But it was not only the history of the song that made such a strong impression on me. The version of I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day, from the Grammy winning band, Casting Crowns, that accompanied the story was unlike any other version of the song I had heard. As I listened to its melancholy background beat, I felt the music in my bones. It echoed the pain, doubt, and disbelief I imagined Longfellow experienced as he sat in the hospital, wondering if his son would survive, thinking about his beloved, departed wife, contemplating the brutality of the war, and wondering what was yet to come. For the first time, I understood the words of this classic song.
“And the bells they’re ringing (peace on earth)
Like a choir they’re singing (peace on earth)
And with our hearts we’ll hear them (peace on earth)
Peace on earth, good will to men”
“Do you hear the bells they’re ringing? (peace on earth)
The life the angels singing (peace on earth)
Open up your heart and hear them (peace on earth)
Peace on earth, good will to men
Peace on earth, peace on earth
Peace on earth, good will to men”
As the song progresses, you can sense Longfellow’s mood shifting from despair to hope. I consider it nothing short of a miracle he had started writing a poem in a state of deep despair and, by the time he put down his pen, found a way to express such profound optimism.
Christmas 2020
This year has been like no other for most of us. Many have suffered much: job losses, business closings, the deaths of family members, and a strange existence like something from a dystopian novel. As we look forward, however, perhaps we can draw some comfort from the struggles and words of Longfellow, who — facing as much if not more pain than most of us will ever endure — found a way to hold onto hope.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.
I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day.
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