Lester Raymond Flatt (June 19, 1914 - May 11, 1979) was one of the pioneers… Read Full Bio ↴Lester Raymond Flatt (June 19, 1914 - May 11, 1979) was one of the pioneers of bluegrass music.

Flatt was born in Jackson County, Tennessee to Nannie Mae Haney and Isaac Columbus Flatt.[1] A singer and guitarist, he first came to prominence as a member of Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys in the 1940s. In 1948 he started a band with fellow Monroe alumnus Earl Scruggs, and for the next twenty years Flatt and Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys were one of the most successful bands in bluegrass. When they parted ways in 1969, Flatt formed a new group, the Nashville Grass, hiring most of the Foggy Mountain Boys. His role as lead singer and rhythm guitar player in each of these seminal ensembles helped define the sound of traditional bluegrass music. He created a role in the Bluegrass Boys later filled by the likes of Jimmy Martin, Mac Wiseman, Peter Rowan and Del McCoury. His rich lead voice is unmistakable in hundreds of bluegrass standards. He is also always remembered for his library of compositions. The Flatt songbook looms titanic for any student of American acoustic music. He continued to record and perform with that group until his death in 1979. Flatt was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1985 with Scruggs. He was posthumously made an inaugural inductee into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor in 1991.

Flatt and Scruggs were ranked #24 on CMT's 40 Greatest Men in Country Music in 2003.

It Won't Be Long
Lester Flatt Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There will come a time some morning when all the saints will rise and shine
Hallelujah praise the Lord it won't be long
Up to that happy home in glory where the souls shall never die
Hallelujah praise the Lord it won't be long
It won't be long it won't be long till we hear the angels sing the victory song
Then we'll gather around the throne there to live forever more
Hallelujah praise the Lord it won't be long
[ fiddle ]

We will meet our friends and loved ones when our toiling here is over
Hallelujah praise the Lord it won't be long
There we'll shout and sing his praises in that land forever more
Hallelujah praise the Lord it won't be long
It won't be long...
[ dobro ]
We will see the Saviour coming some glad morning on the farm
Hallelujah praise the Lord it won't be long
The saints and angels will come shouting oh what glory that will be

Hallelujah praise the Lord it won't be long
It won't be long...

Overall Meaning

The song "It Won't Be Long" by Lester Flatt is a hymn that speaks about the hope that Christians have in Jesus Christ. The lyrics describe a morning when all the saints will rise and shine, and they will get to go to their happy home in glory, where souls shall never die. The refrain repeats that this day is coming, and it won't be long until the angels sing the victory song and all will gather around the throne to live forevermore.

The song speaks of the joy that Christians have in being reunited with loved ones who have gone before them, and how they will shout and sing praises to God in the land forevermore. The dobro and fiddle provide a comforting and uplifting melody that supports the hope-filled lyrics of the song.

Overall, "It Won't Be Long" is an assurance of hope and joy for believers that they will be reunited with loved ones and live a life everlasting in heaven.

Line by Line Meaning

There will come a time some morning when all the saints will rise and shine
One day, all the saints will be resurrected to glory in the morning.

Up to that happy home in glory where the souls shall never die
The souls of the saints will ascend to a joyful, eternal home in heaven.

It won't be long it won't be long till we hear the angels sing the victory song
It won't be much longer until we hear the angels singing the song of victory.

Then we'll gather around the throne there to live forever more
All the saints will gather around the throne and live in eternal bliss.

We will meet our friends and loved ones when our toiling here is over
After our earthly struggles are over, we will be reunited with our loved ones.

There we'll shout and sing his praises in that land forever more
In heaven, we will joyfully praise and worship God forevermore.

We will see the Saviour coming some glad morning on the farm
We will witness the glorious return of Jesus on a joyful morning in the future.

The saints and angels will come shouting oh what glory that will be
The saints and angels will come and shout with joy at the glory of Jesus' return.

It won't be long...
The anticipation of the glorious return of Jesus is growing and it won't be long until we witness it.

Lyrics © ST MUSIC LLC
Written by: LAURA JEAN ANDERSON

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS