The words to this carol have a very interesting history. They were written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow during the American Civil War. Longfellow's beloved wife had died a few years earlier and he had never gotten over it. "How inexpressibly sad are all the holidays.", "I can make no record of these days...Perhaps someday God will give me peace." and " 'A merry Christmas' say the children, but there is no more for me." are just a few of his journal writings from this period.
His son, Charles, was also severely wounded in battle (though he did survive). In despair over all this and the state of the country, Longfellow sat down and wrote this poem. The tune was written by John Baptiste Calkin nine years after the poem appeared and two of the verses, which were specific to the Civil War were left out. Thus was born a hymn of hope and faith which speaks loudly to our own times as well.
