Rory Feek – I’ll Fly Away

“Scroll down to the end of the article to listen to music.”

Introduction

Few songs carry the weight of faith, hope, and longing for something greater quite like “I’ll Fly Away.” Whether you’ve heard it in church, at a funeral, or strummed on a back porch with friends, this hymn has a way of sinking into your soul and lifting your spirit all at once.

Written in 1929 by Albert E. Brumley, this gospel classic isn’t just a song—it’s a promise. Brumley was reportedly inspired while picking cotton, humming an old prison work song called “The Prisoner’s Song.” But rather than a lament of confinement, his lyrics transformed into something more profound—a vision of freedom, of flying away from the burdens of life and into eternal rest.

What makes “I’ll Fly Away” so powerful is its simplicity. The melody is warm and familiar, wrapping around you like a comforting embrace. And the lyrics? They cut right to the heart:
“Some glad morning when this life is over, I’ll fly away…”
There’s no uncertainty, no doubt—just a deep-seated belief that something beautiful awaits beyond this life.

Over the decades, the song has been covered by countless artists—from bluegrass greats like Alison Krauss and Gillian Welch to country legends like Johnny Cash. It even found its way into pop culture through movies and TV shows, proving that its message is as timeless as ever.

At its core, “I’ll Fly Away” is a song of release—letting go of pain, embracing peace, and soaring into the unknown with faith. It’s the kind of tune that unites people, whether they’re singing it in harmony at a Sunday service or reflecting quietly during a moment of solitude. And maybe that’s why it still resonates so deeply today—because we all long for a place where the troubles of this world no longer weigh us down

Video

Lyrics

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

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

(Take it 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, I’ll fly away
To a land where joy will never end, I’ll fly away
(One more time)
I’ll fly away, oh glory, I’ll fly away
When I die, hallelujah by and by, I’ll fly away
When I die, hallelujah by and by, I’ll fly away

Country Music

BEFORE HIS FIRST NO. 1, DARRYL WORLEY HAD A DEGREE IN CHEMISTRY AND A JOB FAR FROM A COUNTRY STAGE. He studied biology and chemistry at the University of North Alabama. After graduation, he worked in the chemical industry — the kind of job that gave a man a paycheck, a schedule, and a reason to stop chasing every late-night idea with a guitar. But music kept pulling at him. Worley had grown up in southern Tennessee with a Methodist preacher for a father and a mother who sang in the church choir. He had heard country music in the house before he understood the business around it. So after work, he kept writing. Eventually, he found his way to Muscle Shoals. At FAME Studios, Rick Hall gave him a place to learn the hard side of the craft. Worley spent years writing, playing clubs nearly every night, and trying to make songs work before there was any promise they would ever become records. Muscle Shoals had made room for soul, country, rock, and people who did not fit cleanly in any of them. Darryl belonged there. Five years later, he went to Nashville. The first records gave him a foothold. “When You Need My Love.” “A Good Day to Run.” “Second Wind.” But he was still trying to turn a working songwriter’s life into a real career. Then came “I Miss My Friend.” The song was not flashy. It was built around a man realizing he does not only miss the woman who left — he misses the person who knew his everyday life, his habits, his silence, the ordinary things nobody notices until they are gone. Released in 2002, it became Worley’s first No. 1. The man with a chemistry degree had finally found the formula Nashville could not ignore. But the song did not sound like it came from a formula. It sounded like it came from somebody who had spent enough years waiting to know what absence felt like.

Country Music

BEFORE COUNTRY RADIO KNEW CRAIG MORGAN, HE HAD ALREADY BEEN AN EMT, A PARATROOPER, A SHERIFF’S DEPUTY, AND A MAN WHO HAD SEEN WHAT A BAD NIGHT COULD DO. Craig Morgan did not arrive in Nashville as a kid who had spent every year chasing a record deal. At eighteen, he became an EMT. A few years later, he joined the Army. He served in the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, spent years inside military life, and saw combat during the 1989 invasion of Panama. Then came civilian jobs. He worked as a sheriff’s deputy. He worked as a contractor. He worked ordinary jobs that had nothing to do with awards shows or record labels. There were bills. There was family. There was the practical world that tells most people a dream has to wait until the work is done. But music stayed. Craig wrote songs when he could. He played wherever the chance appeared. He did not have the clean biography Nashville likes to print for newcomers. He had a resume that looked like several lives stacked together. When he finally began making records, he did not have to invent a working-man voice. He had been around soldiers, deputies, hospital calls, rural jobs, and people who measured life by whether everyone came home safely. Songs like “International Harvester,” “That’s What I Love About Sunday,” and “Almost Home” did not come from a costume. They came from somebody who knew the difference between a story and a shift that still had to be worked tomorrow morning. Country music did not give Craig Morgan an identity. It gave him another place to use one he already had.

Country Music

SEVEN YEARS AFTER LOSING HIS SON, CRAIG MORGAN WALKED BACK ONTO THE OPRY STAGE IN UNIFORM AND REJOINED THE ARMY AT 59. Craig Morgan had already spent seventeen years in the Army and Army Reserve before country music gave him another life. He had served with the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions. He had been a staff sergeant, a fire support specialist, a paratrooper, and a man who understood service long before he understood red carpets. Then came the records, the Opry membership, the tours, and the songs that made him a familiar voice on country radio. He had left military service three years short of twenty. Then July 29, 2023 came. Morgan walked onto the Grand Ole Opry stage in uniform. The crowd thought they were there for another country show. Instead, officers followed him out. Before a sold-out room, Craig Morgan raised his hand and was sworn back into the U.S. Army Reserve. He was fifty-nine. The process had not been symbolic. He needed a waiver. He had to pass physical tests. He had to prove that the singer people knew from “That’s What I Love About Sunday” and “Redneck Yacht Club” could still meet the standards required of a soldier. The Opry made the moment heavier. It was one of the last places he had spent time with his son Jerry before the boy drowned in 2016. Craig later said that after losing Jerry, every place carried a different meaning. The stage was no longer just a stage. It was a room filled with memory. Then Morgan sang “Soldier.” He was not returning because country music had failed him. He was returning because a part of his life had never felt finished.

Rory Feek – I’ll Fly Away

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