During overwhelming times such as these, we can take comfort in strumming songs that have been played by generations of humans who have survived their own hardships. Spirituals in particular tend to help us cope with life when it feels like the sky is falling, and I'll Fly Away is an easy three-chord folk song that sparks my hope for the future. Though it's technically a song about preparing for the afterlife, I've been singing I’ll Fly Away as a post-Covid anthem to remind myself that one day there will be a vaccine and I will get to go on vacations, host parties, and hug all my friends again.
For this video, I chose not to sing the well-known first verse but I did include it on the chord chart. Otherwise, I've stayed true to the original lyrics of the song. For a challenge, why not try and write your own chorus and verses? Repurposing a melody is a nice way to experiment with songwriting, and this song functions as a great template for that (skip ahead to 2:18 in the video for a quick tip on re-writing lyrics).
I set this song in the key of C using only the C, F, and G7 chords, which makes it very approachable for even brand-new players. If you’d like to play it in other keys, this video from my April newsletter and my chord chart can help you do just that.
