SUNDAY HYMN... "I'II FLY AWAY!" by Albert E. Brumley.1905-1977

Albert E. Brumley was born on a cotton farm near Spiro, Oklahoma on October 29, 1905. Before his song writing career, he attended the old Hartford Musical Institute at Hartford, Arkansas and sang with the Hartford Quartet. Later he taught singing schools in various parts of the Ozarks. He met his wife-to-be, Goldie Edith Schell at one of these schools in Powell, Missouri. They were married in 1931 and continued to live at Powell, where they raised their six children.

It was in 1929 that Brumley actually composed "I'll Fly Away". He recalled that he was picking cotton and singing the popular song, "If I Had The Wings Of An Angel". Suddenly, he thought about flying away. Quote, "actually, I was dreaming of flying away from that cotton field when I wrote I'll Fly Away". That thought, of course, like the thoughts that underlay all his many songs, was based upon his own deep spiritual convictions.

Mr. Brumley had tried his hand at writing music for a number of years but for the most part this had been just for his own pleasure. Goldie encouraged him to try to have more of his songs published. Albert agreed to try to sell one of his songs and I'll Fly Away was mailed to the Hartford Music Company one hot afternoon in July of 1932. Goldie was right and the Hartford Music Company published the song in the book, The Wonderful Message.

The song began to gain national recognition while numerous others began asking to be allowed to use it in their church books. At the time that the song was accepted and published he was working in his father-in-law's general store for a dollar a day and was then shortly afterward employed by Hartford as a $12.50 a month staff writer.

The song "I'll Fly Away" became Mr. Brumley's most recorded song.

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, O glory, I'll fly away
When I die hallelujah, by and by, 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, O 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 joys shall never end,

I'll fly away... I'll fly away, O glory, I'll fly away
When I die hallelujah, by and by, I'll fly away.

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