Lyrics:

1. Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky,
The flying cloud, the frosty light.
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.
The year is dying in the night;
Ring out, wild bells, and let him die.

2. Ring out the old; ring in the new.
Ring, happy bells, across the snow.
The year is going; let him go.
Ring out the false; ring in the true.
The year is going; let him go.
Ring out the false; ring in the true.

3. Ring in the valiant men and free,
The larger heart, the kindlier hand.
Ring out the darkness of the land;
Ring in the Christ that is to be.
Ring out the darkness of the land;
Ring in the Christ that is to be.

Text: Alfred Tennyson, 1809-1892
Music: Crawford Gates, b. 1921. (c) 1948 IRI

-History: (Source: Wikipedia)

“Ring Out, Wild Bells” is a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Published in 1850, the year he was appointed Poet Laureate, it forms part of In Memoriam, Tennyson’s elegy to Arthur Henry Hallam, his sister’s fiancé who died at the age of twenty-two.

According to a story widely held in Waltham Abbey, and repeated on many websites (see two examples below), the ‘wild bells’ in question were the bells of the Abbey Church. According to the local story, Tennyson was staying at High Beach in the vicinity and heard the bells being rung. In some versions of the story it was a particularly stormy night and the bells were being swung by the wind rather than deliberately.

This poem is recited annually at the national New Year’s Eve celebration in Sweden every year by actor and singer Jan Malmsjö, who has recited the poem since 31 December 2001. The Swedish tradition of reading ‘Ring Out, Wild Bells’ began in 1897 when the young Swedish actor Anders de Wahl was asked to perform the poem at the annual New Year’s Eve Celebration at Skansen in Stockholm. Anders de Wahl performed ‘Ring Out, Wild Bells’ (which, in Swedish, is called ‘Nyårsklockan’) until his death in 1956. The television producers at Sweden’s biggest channel SVT decided to broadcast the annual New Years Celebration from Skansen in Stockholm on television, and this was first broadcast on 31 December 1977 when actor Georg Rydeberg read the poem. This turned out to be a major success and Rydeberg recited the poem until his death in 1983. In 1983, actor Jarl Kulle took over this tradition and read the poem until his death in 1996, when actress Margaretha Krook took over this and read the poem every New Year’s Eve until her death in 2000. Jan Malmsjö has read it out since 2001.

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