When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder is an 1893 hymn with words and music by

James Milton Black James Milton Black (19 August 1856 – 21 December 1938) was an American composer of hymns, choir leader and Sunday school teacher. Black was born in South Hill, New York, but worked, lived and died in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. It is there that h ...

. It is one of the most popular Christian hymns of all time. The song was inspired by the idea of The Book of Life mentioned in the Bible, and by the absence of a child in Black's Sunday school class when the attendance was taken.Kathleen Blanchard. "Romance of our hymns" (column), ''Winnipeg Free Press'', September 4, 1943, page 17. The idea of someone's being not in attendance in heaven haunted Black, and after visiting the child's home and calling on a doctor to attend her for

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, he went home and wrote the song after not finding one on a similar topic in his hymn collection.Dan Graves
"James Milton Black wanted his name on God's roll,"
Christian History Timeline. Retrieved 2012-02-27. The song's lyrics were first published in a collection titled ''Songs of the Soul'' and the song has since been translated into at least 14 languages and sung all over the world in a variety of Christian denominations.H.W. Strawbridge. "Author of well known religious hymn has many ties to district," ''Titusville Herald'' (Titusville, PA), April 11, 1961, page 8. There are more than 500 versions available on such sites as Amazon, recorded by various artists such as

Loretta Lynn Loretta Lynn (; April 14, 1932 – October 4, 2022) was an American country music singer and songwriter. In a career spanning six decades, Lynn released multiple gold albums. She had numerous hits such as "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Ma ...

, Johnny Cash,

Jim Nabors James Thurston Nabors (June 12, 1930 – November 30, 2017) was an American actor, singer, and comedian, widely known for his signature character, Gomer Pyle. Nabors was discovered by Andy Griffith while working at a Santa Monica nightclub, an ...

, and

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, to the traditional tune. The lyrics have also been set to new music by contemporary gospel artists such as Doris Johnson. In 1945,

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Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...

created a stir in the British press when he quoted the hymn in response to a question about when the Big Three were going to meet; stated the ''Winnipeg Free Press'': "Mr. Churchill, in one of his somewhat puckish moods, replied that he did not know, but, he added irreverently, 'When the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there.'" The British press expressed surprise at Churchill, an Anglican, being familiar with a hymn more associated with

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's br ...

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, and other "chapel" denominations or the revival meetings of

Dwight L. Moody Dwight Lyman Moody (February 5, 1837 – December 26, 1899), also known as D. L. Moody, was an American evangelist and publisher connected with Keswickianism, who founded the Moody Church, Northfield School and Mount Hermon School in Massa ...

and Ira D. Sankey or R. A. Torrey and

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, whereas the ''Free Press'' speculated that Churchill might well have heard the "catchy" tune in the street meetings held by the Salvation Army.(No author.) "Mr. Churchill's hymn," ''Winnipeg Free Press'', February 23, 1945, page 11. He might also have remembered the lyrics from the 1941 movie Sergeant York.

Notes

External links

*
James Milton Black (1856-1938) Find A Grave
memorial *
When The Roll Is Called Up Yonder
YouTube video {{Authority control 1893 songs American Christian hymns 19th-century hymns