I grew up with hymns in my home church. Each church has its traditions and not all share the same hymnody, so there were a lot of hymns I never heard. Once before a class in seminary, my professor had us all sing this song I had not heard before, and I was struck by the imagery. The idea of the need for blood to be saved is a very dark one, yet Christians sing about such things. That there is beauty in the dark reality of the Son of God, not only dying, but shedding his blood violently to redeem his people is at the core of much Christian worship.

8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross! (Php 2:8)

It is unsettling in many ways, as it should be. As many have said, though we are given grace freely, it is not a cheap grace, for it was indeed extremely costly. Songs like this, with such incredible imagery as a fountain of blood, help us, or at least me, bathe in this freeing but weighty reality of salvation.

Here are  five verses, with two renditions of it below. One from one of my favorite bands, Citizens and Saints, and another more traditional style with lyrics. I hope you are able to either enjoy it as an act of worship, or at least come to a greater appreciation of what Christians believe about the death of Christ, and why it is a precious thing to us.

There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.
Lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.

The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day;
And there have I, though vile as he, washed all my sins away.
Washed all my sins away, washed all my sins away;
And there have I, though vile as he, washed all my sins away.

Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood shall never lose its power
Till all the ransomed church of God be saved, to sin no more.
Be saved, to sin no more, be saved, to sin no more;
Till all the ransomed church of God be saved, to sin no more.

E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.
And shall be till I die, and shall be till I die;
Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.

Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I’ll sing Thy power to save,
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave.
Lies silent in the grave, lies silent in the grave;
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave.

Citizens and Saints cover

Traditional Style with lyrics