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One of my favorite Christmas songs is "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." However, in order for it to work, it should be sung to the tune composed in 1872 by John Calkin, to which it is traditionally set, and not the insipid tune from the mid-1950's that is often heard today. And all seven verses should be sung in order to put the listener through the range of emotions felt by the singer.

The singer first describes his joy at hearing the bells. then his mood abruptly changes:

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."

When he once again hears the bells, the singer's despair is replaced by hope and joy:

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."

As far as I know, there is no recording of the song with all seven verses, and few songbooks contain all of the verses.