SONG OVERVIEW
Title: Forbearance Album Position: Track 2 Act: I - The Awakening Role: The whistleblowers’ manifesto - why they had to speak
Caption: They begged him to repent. He said he’d rather be damned. Now forbearance has ceased to be a virtue.
Style: Folk rock, Americana, building intensity, male vocals, righteous anger, acoustic to electric, stomping rhythm, raw emotion, defiant
Runtime Target: 3:30-4:00
FINAL LYRICS
[Building Intro]
. . ! . . .
. . . ! . .
[Verse 1]
We sought a reformation
Without a public word
We thought if he would listen
Repentance would be heard
[Verse 2]
We came to him in private
We pleaded and we prayed
We said we'd seize his hand in fellowship
If he would turn away
[Pre-Chorus]
But our petitions were treated with contempt
The petitioner spurned from his door
[Chorus]
Forbearance has ceased to be a virtue
And hope of reformation's vain
We called upon him to repent
He said he'd rather be damned
He'd rather be damned
Than lose his dignity
[Break]
. . ! . .
[Verse 3]
He said that we would go to Hell
Together, him and us
And there we'd cast the Devil out
And make a heaven of the dust
[Verse 4]
He said that Hell's an agreeable place
Not what the fools suppose
So let him have his kingdom there
We choose a different road
[Chorus]
Forbearance has ceased to be a virtue
And hope of reformation's vain
We called upon him to repent
He said he'd rather be damned
He'd rather be damned
Than lose his dignity
[Bridge]
How long should righteous men stay silent?
How long endure the lie?
When the wolf stands at the pulpit
And the sheep begin to die?
[Final Chorus - intense, declarative]
Forbearance has ceased to be a virtue
And hope of reformation's vain!
We called upon him to repent
He said he'd rather be damned
He'd rather be damned!
So let the truth be known!
[Outro - resolute]
Let the truth be known...
Let the truth be known...
[End]
SOURCE MATERIAL FROM THE NAUVOO EXPOSITOR
All lyrics are grounded in the Preamble of the Nauvoo Expositor, June 7, 1844.
Private Efforts First
“Many of us have sought a reformation in the church, without a public exposition of the enormities of crimes practiced by its leaders, thinking that if they would hearken to counsel, and shew fruit meet for repentance, it would be as acceptable with God”
Ready to Forgive
“We have called upon him to repent, and as soon as he shewed fruits meet for repentance, we stood ready to seize him by the hand of fellowship”
Petitions Rejected
“but our petitions were treated with contempt; and in many cases the petitioner spurned from their presence”
Rather Be Damned
“if he had sinned, and was guilty of the charges we would charge him with, he would not make acknowledgment, but would rather be damned; for it would detract from his dignity, and would consequently ruin and prove the overthrow of the Church”
Hell Together
“he often replied, that we would all go to Hell together, and convert it into a heaven, by casting the Devil out”
Hell Is Agreeable
“Hell is by no means the place this world of fools suppose it to be, but on the contrary, it is quite an agreeable place”
Forbearance Exhausted
“forbearance has ceased to be a virtue, and hope of reformation vain”
The Wolf at the Pulpit
“Lo! the wolf is in the fold, arrayed in sheep’s clothing, and is spreading death and devastation among the saints”
LYRIC-TO-SOURCE MAPPING
| Lyric | Source |
|---|---|
| “We sought a reformation / Without a public word” | “sought a reformation in the church, without a public exposition” |
| “We thought if he would listen / Repentance would be heard” | “if they would hearken to counsel, and shew fruit meet for repentance” |
| “We came to him in private” | Implied - private petitions before public exposure |
| “We pleaded and we prayed” | Implied from “petitions” |
| “We’d seize his hand in fellowship” | “we stood ready to seize him by the hand of fellowship” |
| “If he would turn away” | “as soon as he shewed fruits meet for repentance” |
| “Our petitions were treated with contempt” | Direct quote |
| “The petitioner spurned from his door” | “the petitioner spurned from their presence” |
| “Forbearance has ceased to be a virtue” | Direct quote |
| “Hope of reformation’s vain” | “hope of reformation vain” |
| “We called upon him to repent” | “We have called upon him to repent” |
| “He said he’d rather be damned” | “he would not make acknowledgment, but would rather be damned” |
| “Than lose his dignity” | “it would detract from his dignity” |
| “We would go to Hell together” | “we would all go to Hell together” |
| “Cast the Devil out / Make a heaven” | “convert it into a heaven, by casting the Devil out” |
| “Hell’s an agreeable place” | “Hell is by no means the place this world of fools suppose it to be, but on the contrary, it is quite an agreeable place” |
| “Not what the fools suppose” | Same quote - note Joseph calling believers “fools” |
| “The wolf stands at the pulpit” | “the wolf is in the fold, arrayed in sheep’s clothing” |
| “The sheep begin to die” | “spreading death and devastation among the saints” |
PRODUCER NOTES
What This Song Does
- Explains WHY the whistleblowers went public - they tried private reformation first
- Shows Joseph’s arrogance: “rather be damned” than admit wrongdoing
- The “Hell is agreeable” quote reveals his contempt for his own followers (“fools”)
- Builds from patient pleading to righteous anger to resolve
Key Production Decisions
- Building intensity - Starts with quiet pleading, builds to righteous declaration
- The Hell material stays - Joseph’s actual words reveal his character better than any accusation
- “Fools” - Joseph called his followers “this world of fools” - that’s in the source
- Stomping rhythm - This needs to feel like righteous anger building, feet hitting the floor
The Bridge Question
The bridge (“How long should righteous men stay silent?”) is not directly quoted from the Expositor, but articulates the moral question implicit in their entire document. They wrestled with this: When does patience become complicity? When does silence become sin?
The bridge serves a musical purpose (builds to final chorus) and voices what they must have asked themselves before going public. The “wolf at the pulpit” and “sheep begin to die” imagery draws from their “wolf in the fold” language.
Joseph’s Arrogance on Display
This song lets Joseph condemn himself through his own words:
- He’d “rather be damned” than lose dignity
- He’d take everyone to Hell with him and “make a heaven” there
- Hell is “agreeable” - not what “fools” think
- His followers are “this world of fools”
We don’t have to attack him. We just quote him.
Connection to Other Tracks
- Track 1 “June 7, 1844” - Introduces “forbearance has ceased to be a virtue”
- Track 2 “Forbearance” - Expands on that line, explains the private efforts that failed
- Track 3 “Seven Wives” - The specific lie they’re exposing
- Track 12 “The Inquisition” - What happened when they spoke up: secret trial, excommunication
The Emotional Journey of Act I
| Track | Emotion | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1. June 7, 1844 | Solemn determination | The declaration |
| 2. Forbearance | Righteous anger | Why they had to speak |
| 3. Seven Wives | Bitter irony | The public lie exposed |
By the end of Act I, the listener understands:
- Who these whistleblowers were (insiders)
- Why they went public (private efforts failed)
- What the central lie was (polygamy denied)
Then Act II hits: the women’s stories. The listener is prepared.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT
The Expositor publishers didn’t want to go public. They tried private reformation first.
William Law had been Second Counselor in the First Presidency - Joseph’s right-hand man in church governance. When he discovered the secret practice of plural marriage (and allegedly, Joseph’s proposition to his wife Jane), he didn’t immediately publish a newspaper. He confronted Joseph privately. He pleaded for repentance.
Joseph’s response, according to the Expositor: he’d “rather be damned” than acknowledge wrongdoing, because it would “detract from his dignity.”
This wasn’t a case of enemies attacking from outside. This was the inner circle saying: We tried everything else first. We begged. We prayed. We were “spurned from his presence.”
Only then did they conclude that “forbearance has ceased to be a virtue.”
The Hell quotes are particularly revealing. Joseph told his inner circle that they’d all “go to Hell together” and make it into a heaven. He said Hell was “agreeable” - not what “this world of fools” believed. He was mocking the very doctrine he preached publicly.
This is a man who had stopped believing his own message - or who believed he was above it.
ALBUM FLOW NOTE
Act I: The Awakening sequence:
| Track | Title | Function |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 7, 1844 | The declaration - stakes established |
| 2 | Forbearance | The backstory - why they had to speak |
| 3 | Seven Wives | The lie - what he denied publicly |
“Forbearance” is the emotional engine of Act I. It answers the question every listener will have: “Why would insiders turn on their own prophet?”
Answer: Because they tried everything else first, and he laughed at them.