I heard the bells on Christmas Day

The song and story behind the poem; "I heard the bells on Christmas day". The song adapted from the poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Music video with lyrics and set to images of The Civil War, World War One, World War Two, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day - Adapted from the poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
The choral version of the song used on this video is available here from Word Music wordmusic.com/i... Narration lead-in was added and is not part of the audio music recording from Word Music.
I do not own Narration lead-in or Music, I am not monetized.
Music owned by Word Music, music by Jean Baptiste Calkin, new words and music by Bernie Herms, Mark Hall and Dale Oliver. Arranged and Orchistated by Dave Williamson. wordmusic.com/i...

[@oneyetiger]

I am struck how a few profound words climb from such utter despair soaring to hope eternal. May we never forget the past or lose the hard values that created our nation.

[@SteveSmith-ho8cy]

For Longfellow, going from utter despair to hope eternal did not happen overnight as the song might emply. As with most us, when we lose a loved one, we question everything. Luckily, over time, despair gives way to hope. Time doesn't heal all wounds completely, but it does make handling a tragedy more bearable.

[@Jovocale]

@@SteveSmith-ho8cy…so true Steve… I believe in each soul… we have chapters of a book. Many will end with despair and hopelessness… and I can see that makes our Father God cry because He gave us hope and salvation, mercy and grace through the death of His own son.
My story is a complicated one…60+ years ago, I was convinced as a young child 2-10 years old, that God was a harsh, punishing God… because my own earthly father was harsh, brutal and punishing… We were a church-going family and attended a high, church of England church. Both my parents left the church to become fully immersed in Freemasonry. In fact my mum headed up Women’s Freemasonry in the North East of England. I was so hurt by them leaving and God did a miracle in me… He protected me and showed me His loving kindness, grace and forgiveness, and, wisdom in keeping me away from Freemasonry. He showed me the hypocrisy of it all… hearing my dad speaking about ‘brotherly love’ of the FMs…when he treat my mother and myself with such harshness… God also protected me from FMs -as an only child I was such a disappointment to my parents when I didn’t get involved, but instead stayed with the loving God and Father I came to know during my troubled teenage years - and staying with a new Christian group of musical friends…forming a Christian band and serving others…
I have more events to speak of… briefly, my first husband was a haemophiliac and back in the early ‘80’s his clotting factor viii treatment was contaminated with HiV/AIDS… sadly he died in our fourth year of marriage… thankfully though he had become a Christian just before we married and he knew of God’s love and salvation. (I wrote a book - now out of print… STIGMA: An AIDS Widow’s story - Jo-Anne Cohrs 1989 - which speaks of God’s miraculous moves in our lives… when the world, and at times my parents, were against us…).
Many trying times have happened since, but I have my Father who holds on to me when I fall. (I resided in the US and supported my US AF husband for many years until he found a younger model… so had to leave the culture and country I had come to love… there were faults both sides of course, but I also looked and hoped for reconciliation. Unfortunately he is now my ex, and he has nothing to do with our only child. She has the faith though, from a very early age she wrote her first Christian ‘rap’ ditty when she was only 4 years old and had a believers baptism when she was 8. (She was a miracle for us and a gift from God himself… given to me in my 40’s!!!)
I look at the world around me today and feel the pain of war, loss, death, destruction and murder of babies and children… I just pray that God saves His redeemed soon… and very soon. I have shared your video with my friends and we are going to do a study on the writing and the song. Thank you for your video!

[@edytjoson]

After "In the bleak midwinter," this is my next all-time favorite Christmas carol. This isn't the familiar melody I know, but the visuals and story, here, are heart wrenching. Thank you so much for preparing this literary history for us!

[@bettybradshaw2874]

Nice, thanks for posting the lyrics. Like the evolving from the Civil War to other Wars.