Silver Bells

Silver Bells

“It’s practically the only song about Christmas in a big city, with department store lights, window displays, shoppers and all the rest,” said Ray Evans, describing the song he and Jay Livingston wrote in 1950. At the time the two were under contract to Paramount and were assigned to write a Christmas song for The Lemon Drop Kid, starring Bob Hope and Marilyn Maxwell. They were a bit daunted by the task, because there were so many Christmas standards. So, as Evans put it, “We set out attention on the ‘bell’ side of Christmas and to Christmas in the city — in contrast to ‘White Christmas’ and other standards, with lots of snow and country and small-town images.” The result was a holiday classic, especially after Bing Crosby and Carol Richards recorded it in 1951.

Silver Bells Sheet Music

Lyrics

City sidewalks busy sidewalks .
Dressed in holiday style
In the air
There’s a feeling of Christmas

Children laughing
People passing
Meeting smile after smile
And on ev’ry street corner you’ll hear

Silver bells silver bells
It’s Christmas time in the city
Ring a ling hear them sing
Soon it will be Christmas day

Strings of street lights
Even stop lights
Blink a bright red and green
As the shoppers rush home with their treasures

Hear the snow crunch
See the kids bunch
This is Santa’s big scene
And above all this bustle
You’ll hear

Silver bells, silver bells
It’s Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, hear them sing
Soon it will be Christmas day

3 Comments

  • Matt Montagne

    AWESOME, Justin!!

  • RF Modulator

    i would always love to hear those christmas music with a very happy tune .”.

  • Garland Davis

    this is wonderful!! i love to hear Christmas songs played on a panio.

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