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Hear the loud alarum bells—
Hear the loud alarum bells— Brazen bells! What tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells! In the startled ear of night How they scream out their affright! Too much horrified to speak, They can only shriek, shriek, Out of tune, In a clamorous appealing to the mercy of the fire, In a mad expostulation with the deaf and frantic fire, Leaping higher, higher, higher, With a desperate desire, And a resolute endeavor Now—now to sit or never, By the side of the pale-faced moon. Oh, the bells, bells, bells! What a tale their terror tells Of Despair! How they clang, and clash, and roar! What a horror they outpour On the bosom of the palpitating air! Yet the ear it fully knows, By the twanging, And the clanging, How the danger ebbs and flows; Yet the ear distinctly tells, In the jangling, And the wrangling. How the danger sinks and swells, By the sinking or the swelling in the anger of the bells— Of the bells— Of the bells, bells, bells, bells, Bells, bells, bells— In the clamor and the clangor of the bells!
Listen to the loud alarm bells— Loud bells! What story of fear do their noise tell now? In the surprised ear of night How they scream in their fear! Too scared to speak, They can only scream, scream, Out of tune, In a loud plea for the fire's mercy, In a crazy argument with the deaf and frantic fire, Jumping higher, higher, higher, With a desperate wish, And a determined effort Now—now to stay or never, By the side of the pale moon. Oh, the bells, bells, bells! What a story their fear tells Of Despair! How they clang, and clash, and roar! What a horror they release On the chest of the trembling air! Yet the ear knows fully, By the twanging, And the clanging, How the danger rises and falls; Yet the ear clearly tells, In the jangling, And the wrangling. How the danger sinks and rises, By the sinking or the rising in the anger of the bells— Of the bells— Of the bells, bells, bells, bells, Bells, bells, bells— In the noise and clamor of the bells!