Albert E. Brumley – I’ll Fly Away

Albert E. Brumley was a composer who wrote specifically for Southern Gospel congregational usage.  Though he wrote over 800 songs, he is best known as the author of I’ll Fly Away, often stated as the most recorded Gospel song.

Lyrics can be found at https://popularhymns.com/ill-fly-away.

Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site!  Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.

1. What message does the song communicate?

Brumley will be happy when he dies because he will spend eternity with God, flying away from his mortal body.  Compared to this eternal existence, earthly pain and suffering are minimal and fleeting.

Brumley has nothing positive to say about his physical body.  He feels like a prisoner whose stuck and cannot escape.  This makes sense for people who are filled with misery and suffering, including slaves, domestic abuse victims, and trafficked individuals.  However, it also has the potential to teach Gnosticism, mainly, the belief that the spirit is good and the material (including our physical bodies) is evil.

While it speaks of Brumley traveling to God, there’s nothing in the text that tells us specifically which deity he’ll fly away to except possibly the word “hallelujah”.  Is it Our Heavenly Father, Allah, or Vishnu?  Any world religion with a deity could sing this with no modification whatsoever.

Score: 7/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

While some lyrics have obvious Scriptural references, others are difficult to support without taking Scripture out of context.  The prison imagery in Verse 2 is potentially unbiblical.

I took away one point to assume that “God” refers to the Christian God.

[Verse 1]

Lines 1-3: Psalm 90:10, in many translations, states that after 70-80 years, the turmoil of life ends and we fly away.  It doesn’t mention “celestial shore” per se, but we can infer that it references New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:1-27.

Line 4: Repeats line 2.

[Chorus]

Lines 1 and 2: Essentially repeats Verse 1, line 2.  The “morning” represents the first “moment” of the first “day” (to put it in our present understanding of time) that Brumley enters eternity outside his physical body.  I’ll address the “morning” in my commentary on Verse 2.

Lines 3 and 4: See Verse 1, lines 1 and 2. The word ‘Hallelujah” is a compound Hebrew phrase, with “hallelu” meaning “a joyous praise in song” and “jah” or “yah”, which refers to the Tetragrammaton YHWH. Put together, Brumley sings “we joyfully praise God in song” when he uses this word.

[Verse 2]

Lines 1-4: Essentially the same message as Verse 1, lines 1 and 2 using two different illustrations:

1. Borrows from Psalm 30:5, referencing darkness as God’s temporary anger on Brumley amid his sinful acts, including deeds after salvation.  Morning references God’s light in His Heavenly Kingdom.  While this light was given to Brumley on earth, it is perfected in God’s Kingdom, where there is no shadow or night (Revelation 21:23 and Revelation 22:5).
2. It uses bird cage imagery to describe escape from Brumley’s corrupted body, perhaps alluding to his received spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).  However, it also potentially treats the body as a prison instead of something created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27).

[Verse 3]

Line 1: Brumley describes the time period between now and death as momentary light affliction (2 Corinthians 4:17).  While it may not feel that way now, when compared to eternal life with God, the ills of this world will seem small and temporary.

Line 2: Repeats Verse 1, line 2.

Line 3: Brumley will be part of God’s joyful banquet (Luke 14:15-24).

Line 4: Repeats Verse 1, line 2.

Score: 6/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

Unbelievers will likely conclude that Brumley hates this life and wants out, thinking that death is his only escape, praying and hoping that God takes him away to heaven.  As stated in section 1, it’s unclear which deity Brumley refers to, much less which version of heaven is his “celestial shore”.

Score: 5/10

4. What does this song glorify?

It’s difficult to believe that it glorifies God, given that Brumley is unclear on which God he refers to.  The Christian God appreciates Brumley’s honesty, even if his chief message somewhat lacks Scriptural basis.

Score: 6/10

Closing Comments

Albert E. Brumley’s I’ll Fly Away is honest, yet, Scripturally questionable.  It describes someone whose life is so terrible that they seek to escape their fleshly body, looking forward to eternity with God (or whatever deity they ascribe to).  Unbelievers will probably conclude similarly, including confusion over Brumley’s object of worship.

I cannot recommend this song for corporate worship.

Final Score: 6/10

Artist Info

Track: I’ll Fly Away (listen to Albert E. Brumley’s version of this song)

Artist: Albert E. Brumley

Album: N/A

Genre: Hymn

Release Year: 1932

Duration: N/A

Agree?  Disagree?  Don’t be shy or have a cow!  Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.

Updates:

12/19/2022 – Jason Millican found Biblical support for “fly away”!  I updated all sections and raised the overall score from 4/10 to 6/10.