Ring them bells ye heathen from the city that dreams 
Ring them bells from the sanctuaries cross the valleys and streams 
For they're deep and they're wide 
And the world on its side 
And time is running backwards 
And so is the bride. 

Ring them bells Saint Peter where the four winds blow 
Ring them bells with an ironhand 
So the people will know 
Oh it's rush hour now 
On the wheel and the plow 
And the sun is going down upon the sacred cow. 

Ring them bells Sweet Martha for the poor man's son 
Ring them bells so the world will know that God is one 
Oh the shepherd is asleep 
Where the willows weep 
And the mountains are filled with lost sheep 
Ring them bells for the blind and the deaf 
Ring them bells for all of us who are left 
Ring them bells for the chosen few 
Who will judge the many when the game is through 
Ring them bells for the time that flies 
For the child that cries 
When innocence dies. 

Ring them bells Saint Catherine from the top of the room 
Ring them from the fortress for the lilies that bloom 
Oh the lines are long and the fighting is strong 
And they're breaking down the distance between right and wrong.