March 23, 2018
I’ll Fly Away
Some glad morning when this life is o’er, I’ll fly away;
to a home on God’s celestial shore, I’ll fly away (I’ll fly away).
Chorus: I’ll fly away, Oh Glory, I’ll fly away; (in the morning)
when I die, Hallelujah, by and by, I’ll fly away (I’ll fly away).
When the shadows of this life have gone, I’ll fly away;
like a bird from prison bars has flown, I’ll fly away (I’ll fly away) (Chorus)
Just a few more weary days and then, I’ll fly away;
to a land where joy shall never end, I’ll fly away (I’ll fly away) (Chorus)
Text and music: Albert E. Brumley (1929)
I first heard this gospel song when I watched, “O Brother, Where Art Thou.” While the movie is indeed quirky and people either love it or hate it, I enjoyed the movie so much that I bought it. The video featured not only the original lyrics but also additional lyrics written by Alison Krauss.
The complete song details the trials of earth which will be left behind. Mr. Brumley wrote the song in the late 1920’s before the Great Depression began. Life on earth, as depicted by Mr. Brumley, was quite dismal so he looked to the heavens for relief. The song is an example of shape-note singing which was popular when many people lacked literacy. The shape-note system used geometric shapes to represent notes. This system was used quite often for sacred songs, especially in the gospel tradition.
The scripture reference for Brumly’s song is First Thessalonians 4:17: “Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord so we shall always be with the Lord.”
No one knows what heaven is like; some would say it doesn’t exist. We tend to think of a beautiful place somewhere in the clouds with angels floating about. I have to admit I don’t think much about it, although as I grow older it pops up every now and then. I do hold onto the belief that we do not get to heaven based on works but on faith. It has always seemed to me that works follow faith because if we believe in a higher power we want to follow the path laid out for us—so works just naturally occur. So during this Lenten season, look for the path and start moving on so one day you can fly away.
Suzanne Koch
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