I’ll Fly Away

Written in 1929 by Albert E. Brumley and published in 1932, “I’ll Fly Away” has been called the most recorded gospel song in history. Brumley conceived the idea while picking cotton on his family farm in Oklahoma, inspired by “The Prisoner’s Song” with its line “If I had the wings of an angel, over these prison walls I would fly.” He adapted this into a gospel context, using prison as a metaphor for earthly life and heaven as freedom. The song was first published in shape notes in “Wonderful Message” (1932) and first recorded by Rev. J.M. Gates in 1940. It became a standard in Baptist, Pentecostal, and Methodist worship services, and is a staple at bluegrass jam sessions and jazz funerals in New Orleans. The song has been covered by artists ranging from Elvis Presley to Alison Krauss, and was featured prominently in “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” Brumley wrote over 600 gospel songs during his career, making him the “pre-eminent gospel songwriter” of the 20th century.