When the Roll is Called Up Yonder

Hymn lyrics to When the Roll is Called Up Yonder by James M. Black

When the Roll is Called Up Yonder deals with Heaven, and the Christian’s eventual homecoming. It’s based on 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 20:12

The song was inspired by the idea of The Book of Life mentioned in the Bible, and by the absence of a child in James Black’s Sunday school class when the attendance was taken. The idea of someone’s being not in attendance in heaven haunted him. After visiting the child’s home and calling on a doctor to attend her for pneumonia, he went home and wrote the hymn. It has become one of the most popular in the world.

1. When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more,
   And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
   When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
   And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
   • Refrain:
     When the roll is called up yonder,
     When the roll is called up yonder,
     When the roll is called up yonder,
     When the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
2. On that bright and cloudless morning when the dead in Christ shall rise,
   And the glory of His resurrection share;
   When His chosen ones shall gather to their home beyond the skies,
   And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.
3. Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun,
   Let us talk of all His wondrous love and care;
   Then when all of life is over, and our work on earth is done,
   And the roll is called up yonder, I’ll be there.