"I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" is one of my favorite Christmas songs provided that it is sung to the tune "Waltham," written by John B. Calkin in 1872--and provided that all of the verses are sung. However, verses #4 and #5 are usually omitted, which makes the sudden mood change after verse #3 seem odd and greatly reduces the song's impact. Here are the two verses that are usually missing:
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.
Youtube features a version of "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" that includes all of the verses and is set to the tune "Waltham," although I'm not crazy about its "modern" arrangement. You can listen to it if you
click here.
