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For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first… 

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.

 One 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.

Let us labor for the Master from the dawn till setting sun; let us talk of his wonderous 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.

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.

James Milton Black was born on August 19, 1856, South Hill, NY. Not much is known about his childhood. He was a teacher, composer of hymns, choir director, Sunday school teacher, and a very active member of the Pine Tree Methodist and Episcopal Church. He married Elizabeth “Lizzie” Fulmer. Lizzie began giving music lessons, but soon had to quit because of her heart condition. In 1888, they moved to Princeton, IN, where he became a college professor. Later that year, Lizzie was hospitalized due to her heart condition and had a severe heart attack. She was in the hospital for 6 months and died on June 12, 1889. After Lizzie’s death, he married Elizabeth Updegaff and when that marriage ended, he married Lucy Love Levan in 1928. Not long after they were married, he became a real estate agent and felt led to become a personal evangelist. During this time, he wrote many of his hymns and his most well-known hymn, “When the Roll is Called up Yonder”.  He went to Moody Bible Institute and gained more Bible knowledge and during his time at the Institute, he edited 12 hymnals and songbooks, and wrote close to 1500 hymns. He helped compose the Methodist Hymnal 1905 edition.  On December 21, 1938, James passed away, in Williamsport, PA.