Longfellow's Carol

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

I thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along th' unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bow'd 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."

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!

This carol was originally a poem written by Longfellow, still grieving from his wife's tragic death in a fire, and shortly after hearing that his son, a lt. in the Army of the Potomac, had been seriously wounded in combat.

Whenever I think of how bad things are, this time of year, I think of Longfellow and his poem.

 

There were two other verses that specifically referred to the Civil War, but they don't do much for the poem as a carol, and were not used when it was set to music.