Words: , 1866.

Music: , Cha­pel Gems for Sunday School (Chi­ca­go, Il­li­nois: Root & Ca­dy, 1866).

Cushing wrote about these words:

The mel­o­dy ran in my head all day long, chim­ing and flow­ing in its sweet mu­sic­al ca­dence. I wished great­ly that I might se­cure the tune for use in the Sun­day-school and for other Christ­ian pur­poses. When I heard the bells of heav­en ring­ing of some sin­ner that had re­turned, it seemed like a glad day. Then the words, “Ring the bells of hea­ven” at once flowed down in­to the wait­ing mel­o­dy.

Ring the bells of Heaven! There is joy today,
For a soul, returning from the wild!
See, the Father meets him out upon the way,
Welcoming His weary, wandering child.

Refrain

Glory! Glory! How the angels sing:
Glory! Glory! How the loud harps ring!
’Tis the ransomed army, like a mighty sea,
Pealing forth the anthem of the free.

Ring the bells of Heaven! There is joy today,
For the wanderer now is reconciled;
Yes, a soul is rescued from his sinful way,
And is born anew a ransomed child.

Refrain

Ring the bells of Heaven! Spread the feast today!
Angels, swell the glad triumphant strain!
Tell the joyful tidings, bear it far away!
For a precious soul is born again.

Refrain