The Blood of the Lamb

Inspiration and Commission

The idea for The Blood of the Lamb came to John Gowans on the platform of the Kelvin Hall in Glasgow following a performance of their previous musical, Spirit. As Gowans recalled in his autobiography, Commissioner Carr, then Chief of the Staff, approached him during the finale (while the cast sang "All Hail, I'm Saved") and requested another musical for the upcoming 1978 International Congress.

Gowans was immediately reminded of Vachel Lindsay's poem, General William Booth Enters Into Heaven, which he had heard recited by actress Margaret Rawlings during his National Service days. He instinctively knew this should be the subject for the new work.

General William Booth Enters Into Heaven
By Vachel Lindsay

Booth led boldly with his big bass drum-
(Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?)
The Saints smiled gravely, and they said, 'He's come.'
(Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?)
Walking lepers followed, rank on rank,
Lurching bravos from the ditches dank,
Drabs from the alleyways and drug fiends pale-
Minds still passion-ridden, soul-powers frail;
Vermin-eaten saints with mouldy breath,
Unwashed legions with the ways of Death-
(Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?)

Every slum had sent its half-a-score
The round world over. (Booth had groaned for more.)
Every banner that the wide world flies
Bloomed with glory and transcendent dyes.
Big-voiced lassies made their banjoes bang;
Tranced, fanatical, they shrieked and sang-
'Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?'
Hallelujah! It was queer to see
Bull-necked convicts with that land made free.
Loons with trumpets blowed a blare, blare, blare,
On, on, upward through the golden air!
(Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?)

Booth died blind, and still by faith he trod,
Eyes still dazzled by the ways of God.
Booth led boldly, and he looked the chief,
Eagle countenance in sharp relief,
Beard aflying, air of high command,
Unabated in that holy land.

Jesus came from out the court-house door,
Stretched His hands above the passing poor.
Booth saw not, but led his queer ones there,
Round and round the mighty courthouse square.
Then in an instant, all that blear review
Marched on spotless, clad in raiment new,
The lame were straightened, withered limbs uncurled,
And blind eyes opened on a new, sweet world.

Drabs and vixens in a feast made whole!
Gone was the weasel-head, the snout, the jowl!
Sages and sibyls now, and athletes clean,
Rulers of empire, and of forests green!

The hosts were sandalled, and their wings were fire!
(Are you washed in the Blood of THE LAMB?)
But their noise played havoc with the angel-choir.
(Are you washed in the Blood of THE LAMB?)
Oh, shout Salvation! It was good to see
Kings and Princes by the Lamb set free.
The banjoes rattled and the tambourines
Jing-jing-jingled in the hands of Queens.

And when Booth halted by the curb of prayer,
He saw his Master through the flag-filled air.
Christ came gently with a robe and crown
For Booth the Soldier, while the throng knelt down.
He saw King Jesus. They were face to face,
And he knelt a-weeping in that holy place.

Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?

About the Poem's Origin

Vachel Lindsay (1879-1931) was a gifted and original American writer and poet. His poem General William Booth Enters Into Heaven was written in a single night in 1912 shortly after Booth's death, created as Lindsay "walked in Los Angeles' Sixth Street Park all one frenzied night". It reflects Lindsay's earlier contacts with The Salvation Army in Springfield, Illinois, where he often attended open-air meetings. According to his biographer, Eleanor Ruggles, Lindsay witnessed the Army singing hymns like Elisha Hoffman's "Are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb?" - a line prominently featured in the poem and giving the musical its title - and even "knelt in a row on the courthouse grass and prayed aloud" with them.

Published in Poetry, Chicago in 1913, the poem was described by The Review of Reviews as "perhaps the most remarkable poem of a decade" and became Lindsay's best-known single work, included in many anthologies. However, Lindsay reportedly grew tired of reciting it due to frequent audience requests.

Development and Premiere

Gowans recalled, "I scoured the Army's history books for stories of those who merited being part of Booth's procession into Heaven and found an abundance of candidates." The musical flows as a continuous whole without separate scenes, but follows a three-part structure based on the poem.

Part 1, 'The Rallying Point', is set on 20 August 1912, as word spreads of Booth's death and crowds gather outside International Headquarters to march with him. Part 2, 'Introducing the Marchers', features testimonies from diverse figures redeemed by the Army's ministry: a street-girl, lepers, drunkards, a missioner from the early Christian Mission days, match factory workers, convicts from Devil's Island, an Australian convert, an American slum Captain, a young man from Russia, and representatives from the East. Part 3, 'The March Into Heaven', follows the poem's climax.

Gowans noted the highlight: "...the moment when the now-blind Booth is met by his Saviour and receives his white robe from the Master he had served so well. The ugliness of the following parade melts away, and they march past their General, a very international body, all in white robes." He felt the words for the song "They Shall Come From the East" seemed to write themselves for this moment:

They shall come from the east, they shall come from the west,
And sit down in the Kingdom of God;
Both the rich and the poor, the despised, the distressed,
They'll sit down in the Kingdom of God.
And none will ask what they have been
Provided that their robes are clean;
They shall come from the east, they shall come from the west,
And sit down in the Kingdom of God.

Gowans researched Salvation Army history for characters to include in Booth's procession. The musical was developed and given a trial run at London's Mermaid Theatre with the help of Sir Bernard Miles.

The official premiere took place at the Wembley Auditorium, London, on Friday, 7 July 1978, as part of the International Congress. John Gowans himself played the role of General Booth.

"For this production (I hope it was not vanity?) I played the part of General Booth myself. The Founder's eldest granddaughter, Commissioner Catherine Bramwell-Booth, was present and within five years of her hundredth birthday. She retained clear memories of her grandfather and told me I did well. Maybe her eyes were not what they used to be!"
— General John Gowans (from Autobiography, cited on Source)

A practical challenge arose in sourcing material for the 100 white robes needed for the finale. A visit to Bentalls department store in Kingston upon Thames secured the fabric at a special price, and the costumes were quickly made by staff at Sunbury Court.

The musical can be presented with a minimum of 30 or 40 people, but is enhanced by larger numbers, with only the stage size limiting the maximum. Though premiered by young people, it is suitable for all ages.

US Adaptation (1980)

When the musical was produced in the USA in 1980, American Salvationists requested additions to reflect their own history. Gowans and Larsson obliged by adding a character based on the real-life Salvationist evangelist 'Joe the Turk' (Nishan Der Garabedian) and two new songs: "You've Got to Demonstrate" and "The Hoodlum and the Hooker and the Hobo".

Global Reach

The Blood of the Lamb proved highly successful and has been translated into many languages and performed worldwide. Notably, The Salvation Army in Japan produced a full Japanese-language version. Gowans commented, "It strikes one as odd at first to see William Booth with a Japanese face and speaking what I am told is perfect Japanese. But why not? As the Founder, General Booth was once told in Paris, 'vous etes un citoyen du monde' (you are a citizen of the world)."

The Story of "There's Only One Flag For Me"

During rehearsals at Sunbury Court just days before the premiere, the creative team felt the musical needed a boost in the middle section. Gowans and Larsson conceived the idea for a flag-waving song over a meal at a Chinese restaurant in Kingston, using the serviettes provided to start writing.

"...we said let's have a song about the Flag then everybody can wave their flags and we can have a great deal of enthusiasm and wake everybody up at that point in the musical where it is sagging."
— General John Larsson (Melbourne, 1993, cited on Source)

As Larsson (who liked working early) recalled during an event at Melbourne City Temple on Nov 6, 1993, Gowans (who preferred working late) wrote verse lyrics overnight based on the rhythm of "Mine eyes have seen the glory". However, Larsson realised the next morning that the melody didn't fit the marching feel needed for the chorus. He rewrote the tune, rendering Gowans' initial lyrics unusable. Gowans was quickly tasked with writing new lyrics in the library while the cast learned the chorus melody and hummed the verse tune. Couplets were delivered piece by piece via courier to be written on a chalkboard until the song was complete, just in time for the performance.