I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day chords

by Casting Crowns

Lyrics: Originally written as a poem in 1863 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (American Poet & Educator), titled "Christmas Bells".
Music: The poem was set to music in 1872 by English organist, John Baptiste Calkin.
Performance: Casting Crowns
Album: Peace On Earth
Music: Bb Major in 4/4 time at 74 bpm (♩)
Chords: B♭, D7/A, Eb, F, Fsus4, Gm
Beginners: C & G Major are easier keys to play in. If you are playing with the video G Major would be a more practical key with a capo on 3. (C major would require a capo on 10)

Chart Legend

Numbered Circles: Fingers used to play chords O: Optional Note
Barre Line: One finger holds down multiple strings R: Root Note
Unmarked strings: Play open X: Don't play string B: Bass Note

I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day

Song Key is highlighted - Transpose to any other key

               Gm     Eb     Bb              
Intro: 4/4  |      |      |      |    

D7/A                              Gm
1. I heard the bells on Christmas Day
 Eb                             Bb
   Their old fa-mil-iar ca-rols play
 F                                   Gm
   And mild and sweet their songs re-peat
 Eb                               Bb
   Of peace on earth good will to men
   

    D7/A                            Eb       Bb
Chorus: And the bells are ring-ing (Peace on Earth)
                                       Eb       Bb
        Like a choir they're sing-ing (Peace on Earth)
                           
        In my heart I hear them (Peace on Earth)
      Eb         Gm                  F
        Peace on earth, good will to men

 F                            Gm
2. And in des-pair I bowed my head
 Eb                             Bb
   There is no peace on earth I said
 F                                  Gm
   For hate is strong and mocks the song
 Eb                                Bb
   Of peace on earth, good will to men

   D7/A                             Eb       Bb
Chorus: But the bells are ring-ing (Peace on Earth)
                               Eb       Bb
        Like a choir sing-ing (Peace on Earth)

        Does a-ny-bo-dy hear them? (Peace on Earth)
      Eb         Gm                  F     
        Peace on earth, good will to men |   𝄎   |

      Eb                                 
Bridge: Then rang the bells more loud and deep
                                     Gm              F
        God is not dead, nor doth He sleep (Peace on Earth, peace on Earth)
      Eb
        The wrong shall fail, the right pre-vail
                      Bb                  F     Fsus4
        With peace on earth, good will to men |       |

  F                              Gm
3. Then ring-ing sing-ing on its way
 Eb                                  Bb 
   The world re-volved from night to day
 F                               Gm
   A voice, a chime, a chant sub-lime
 Eb                                Bb
   Of peace on earth, good will to men


    D7/A                                Eb       Bb
Chorus: And the bells they're ring-ing (Peace on Earth)
                                       Eb       Bb
        Like a choir they're sing-ing (Peace on Earth)
                                           
        And with our hearts we'll hear them  (Peace on Earth)
      Eb         Gm                  F
        Peace on earth, good will to men

      F                                          Eb       Bb
        Do you hear the bells they're ring-ing? (Peace on Earth)
                                  Eb       Bb
        The life the angels sing-ing (Peace on Earth)

        Open up your heart and hear them (Peace on Earth)
      Eb         Gm                  F      F 
        Peace on earth, good will to men |  𝄑   |


        Eb       Bb          Eb       Bb 
        Peace on earth,      Peace on earth

        Eb       Gm                       F
        Peace on earth,      Good will to men
                                       𝄑

Reading the Song Charts - a closer look at reading the song charts on this site
Chord Transposer - a better understanding of how it works
Sheet Music at MusicNotes.Com - Piano/Vocal/Guitar

The following is a comment made on Youtube with regards to the song:

The choir I sing in, recorded this version of the song last year. It is based on a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The story behind it is awesome! If you listen closely to the words, the first two verses are very gloomy, then suddenly it becomes joyous. During the American Civil War, Longfellow lost his wife as the result of a fire that maimed and crippled her, eventually succumbing to her painful injuries. In 1863, his son joined the Union Army, against his father's wishes. In November the son, Charles, was gravely wounded and died in December. Longfellow's faith in a loving God was shaken by the loss of his wife and son but eventually, as we hear in the later verses, his faith is restored.

Longfellow's original poem:

Christmas Bells

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
and mild 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."