This song has words by William Booth (he of the Salvos) and a tune that has several attributions on the net. (Any takers for the correct answer? I’ve seen Lex Loizides attributed with at least an adaption and also an attribution to Stoneleigh. You can buy the sheet music online here, which would have been very useful ten years ago! The lyrics are variable.
It was requested for a liturgy years ago and after unsuccessfully looking for the music I worked out the chords from a MIDI file. The MIDI file appears to have been based loosely on this version from Brownsville Worship. I’ve since played with the MIDI file out of all recognition over many years and made my backing from its carcass.
O God of burning, cleansing flame, Send the fire
Your blood – bought gift today we claim, Send the fire today
God of Elijah, hear our cry, Send the fire
And make us fit to live or die, send the fire today
To burn up every trace of sin, to bring the light and glory in
The revolution now begins, Send the fire today
It’s fire we want, for fire we plead, Send the fire
The fire will meet our every need, Send the fire today
Give us strength to always do what’s right,
And grace to conquer in the fight
for power to walk this world in white, Send the fire today
Look down and see this waiting host
And send the promised Holy Ghost
We need another Pentecost, Send the fire today
Send the Fire
Send the fire
Send the fire
Send the fire today.
Text: William Booth
Music © Lex Loizides, Thankyou Music ,1994.
(Thanks to Mary’s sleuthing)
Ohh, I love a research challenge!
There is four part sheet music from Timeless Truths which says the tune is TUCKER by Fredrick Booth-Tucker. It’s a different tune toyour backing track. And the lyrics in verse 4 are different to the ones you’ve quoted.
Digging a bit more:
http://www.brassband.co.uk/sheet-music/search/Send_The_Fire is all about a CD that says it has a version that uses both TUCKER and SEND THE FIRE tunes.
There’s another version by Phil Laeger here: http://www.congresodesantidad.org/musicdept/contemporary/lead/Sendthefire.pdf
– I’m not sure which (if any) tune it matches
This version from Kingsway – Integrity
http://www.kingsway.co.uk/song-library/showsong/621 has attribution to:
William Booth (1829 -1912)
Adpt. Lex Loizides
Copyright � 1994 Thankyou Music
There’s also a helpful statement on
http://www.churchmusicdublin.org/modernhymns?show-menu=true
“Lex Loizides’s new tune to William Booth’s (of Salvation Army fame) Send
the fire also works well. ”
Based on all that, I’ll take a guess: Lex wrote a new tune (the one you’ve worked from) and possibly adapted the words. Stoneleigh is a band that’s played a cover version of Lex’s tune, and put it on YouTube.
This is a best guess of course, I’m working with what I can find on the internet (a well known source of 100% correct information!), not original source publications. But I’d be fairly confident that it’s correct.
Oh .. and having done all that research, I couldn’t help but write it up and make the lyrics available in PowerPoint at http://www.godsongs.net/2012/08/send-fire-fire.html
Holmes, you astound me.
Hope you don’t mind me popping in on you uninvited!
Having been a fan of the early Salvation Army for several years (and presented some talks and lectures on their early history) I found Booth’s hymn ‘Thou God of cleansing, burning flame’ and wrote an entirely new melody (having never heard the original). I then modernised the words.
Basically, the original Booth version begins ‘Thou Christ’ and not ‘O God of burning’. It has been used around the world by Salvationists as well as at Brownsville (where it was incorrectly credited to Lindell Cooley). It’s amazing how well it has become known and I’m thrilled to have dusted off a wonderful, but (certainly outside of the SA) largely unused hymn.
I will write more about the Sally Army on The Church History Blog soon (http://lexloiz.wordpress.com)
I also did the same kind of thing with another SA song called ‘Save the Lost’.
Hope that helps. Well done Holmes…and Watson, of course!
Lex
Great to hear from you, Lex and congratulations on the success of the song.
Geoff
Just discovered this in Mission Praise and am trying to get the music score, I have the music score from the Salvation Army version.
God bless you for your hymn writing Lex
Good Day!
Im really happy because we found this site and most important is you know how to create a music….
So, I have another songs to request to you:
1. Immanuel by Michael Card
2. Spirit of God in the Clear Running Water
3. Come to the Table enter his presence…
Hope you could make it…
Thank you and god bless to you…!!!!!
I’m sorry, I can’t do any more backings until my copyright situation is sorted out and that is going to take some time.
Geoff