Mercy Me - I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
Admittedly, I am not a huge fan of Mercy Me. They are a good band, just not my thing. They have had several songs however, that really moved me. “I Can Only Imagine” was obviously one, “Word of God Speak” also hit for some reason.
This season though, their version of “I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day” just seems to fit really well.
Take a listen (download it from iTunes!)
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Words: Henry Longfellow. 1864. Original Music: John B. Calkin, 1872
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.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.††
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.”†† From: CyberHymnal
Historical Note: This hymn was written during the American civil war, as reflected by the sense of despair in the next to last stanza. Stanzas 4-5 speak of the battle, and are usually omitted from hymnals:
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.
I’m not so much a band driven guy, but a song driven guy. What I mean is, I have no allegience to any particular band.
BUT, after hearing a few of the songs by Mercy Me’s Christmas album, I bought the whole thing. They did a great job of spicing up old familiar carols without ruining them.