sunday songs

I’ve liked this song for a long time. I enjoy it’s peppy, lively, upbeat, and happy tune. The hymn was written in 1929 by Albert E. Brumley (1905-1977) and published in 1932 by the Hartford Music company in a collection titled Wonderful Message. Brumley's writing of this hymn was influenced in part by an older secular ballad.

‘I'll Fly Away’ has been called the most recorded gospel song, and it’s frequently used in worship services by Baptists, Pentecostals, Nazarenes, Church of Christs, and Methodists. It’s in many hymnals under the topics of eternal life, heaven, and acceptance. It’s a standard song in bluegrass jams and also at funerals.

The lyrics:

‘I’ll Fly Away’

I’ll fly away, oh glory, I’ll fly away
When I die, hallelujah by and by, I’ll fly away

Some bright morning when this life is over, I’ll fly away
To a land on God’s celestial shore, I’ll fly away

When the shadows of this life have gone, I’ll fly away
Like a bird from these prison walls I’ll fly, I’ll fly away

I’ll fly away, oh glory, I’ll fly away
When I die, hallelujah by and by, I’ll fly away

Oh how glad and happy when we meet, I’ll fly away
No more cold iron shackles on my feet, I’ll fly away

I’ll fly away, oh glory, I’ll fly away
When I die, hallelujah by and by, I’ll fly away

Just a few more weary days and then, I’ll fly away
To a land where joy will never end, I’ll fly away

I’ll fly away, oh glory, I’ll fly away
When I die, hallellujah by and by, I’ll fly away

additional notes of interest:

Albert E. Brumley has been described as the "pre-eminent gospel songwriter" of the 20th century with over 600 published songs. According to interviews, Brumley came up with the idea for the song while picking cotton on his father's farm in Rock Island, Oklahoma. Brumley says that as he worked he was "humming the old ballad that went like this: 'If I had the wings of an angel, over these prison walls I would fly,' and suddenly it dawned on him that he could use this plot for a gospel-type song. The song Brumley described appears to be "The Prisoner's Song". It was an additional three years later until Brumley worked out the rest of the song, paraphrasing one line from the secular ballad to read, "Like a bird from prison bars has flown", using prison as an analogy for earthly life. Brumley quoted: "When I wrote it, I had no idea that it would become so universally popular."