I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

Lyrics: Kim Gannon and Buck Ram
Music: Walter Kent

The wartime origins of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” underscore both the song’s hope and its poignancy. Lyricist Kim Gannon reported that he wasn’t thinking of soldiers specifically when he wrote these lyrics, but rather all people who were separated from their families by World War II. 

In the hit 1943 recording by Bing Crosby, “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” was a significant morale booster for Allied soldiers, even if it concludes with the confession that “peace on earth” and celebrations with family are sometimes a hope yet to be realized.