“I Heard the Bells” is a reminder that. for many people, the holidays is a time of painful memories and a struggle to connect with the joy of the season.
The lyrics are from a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called “Christmas Bells.” He wrote it after his wife was killed in a freaky fire accident and his son suffered serious injuries fighting for the Union in the Civil War.
It’s those events that give this song its gloomy start. In particular, the third stanza that begins “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, Goodwill to Men.”
In the end, though, the song’s protagonist finds his center. It has a line that I cling to the whole year, particularly now given the state of our nation and the misery imposed on it.
“The wrong shall fail, the right (lower case r) prevail. With peace on earth, goodwill to men.”
The music for the song was written by Johnny Marks, best known for “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” If you think that a little incongruous, you’re not alone – unless you consider that Rudolph overcomes adversity, too.
Here is the version recorded by the great Harry Belafonte:
SUBJECTISM 