Skip to content

Chords and Lyrics for I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Note: Lyrics display best on screens sized 768 pixels or larger. If your screen is smaller than this, you may be able to view the lyrics better in landscape orientation.

Music by John Baptiste Calkin
Words by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

VERSE 1

D                 Adim7 A7 
I heard the bells on    Christmas day,

Ddim7 D        Bm  A7 
Their old familiar carols play,

D   G        D         F#7     Bm 
And wild and sweet the words repeat,

   D     G  D      Em   A7      D 
Of peace on earth, good will to men. 

  
VERSE 2

D                 Adim7 A7 
I thought how, as the   day had come,

Ddim7 D           Bm  A7 
The   belfries of all Christendom,

D   G       D         F#7    Bm 
Had rolled along th'unbroken song,

   D     G  D      Em   A7      D 
Of peace on earth, good will to men. 

  
VERSE 3

D              Adim7 A7 
And in despair I     bowed my head: 

Ddim7  D           Bm A7 
"There is no peace on earth," I said, 

 D   G       D          F#7       Bm 
"For hate is strong and mocks the song,

   D     G  D      Em   A7      D 
Of peace on earth, good will to men." 

  
VERSE 4

D                     Adim7 A7 
Then pealed the bells more  loud and deep: 

 Ddim7 D            Bm  A7 
"God   is not dead, nor doth He sleep;

D   G           D         F#7      Bm 
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,

     D     G  D      Em   A7      D 
With peace on earth, good will to men." 

  
VERSE 5

D                  Adim7 A7  
Till, ringing, singing,  on its way,

Ddim7 D              Bm   A7  
The   world revolved from night to day,

D G        D        F#7      Bm 
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,

   D     G  D      Em   A7      D 
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

More Like This

Chords

Below is a list of all the chords in this song. Click on a chord to learn how to play the chord on a particular instrument.

Instrument Chords
Banjo A7 Adim7 B Minor D Major Ddim7 E Minor F#7 G Major
Guitar A7 Adim7 B Minor D Major Ddim7 E Minor F#7 G Major
Mandolin A7 Adim7 B Minor D Major Ddim7 E Minor F#7 G Major
Piano A7 Adim7 B Minor D Major Ddim7 E Minor F#7 G Major
Ukulele A7 Adim7 B Minor D Major Ddim7 E Minor F#7 G Major

Sheet Music for I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Chords on this page may be simplified from the original version. View the sheet music for this title to see the original chords. The following sheet music is available for this title: