Soon we’ll come to the end of life’s journey,And perhaps we’ll never meet anymore;Till we gather in Heaven’s bright city,Far away on that beautiful shore.
If we never meet again this side of Heaven,As we struggle through this world and its strife;There’s another meeting place somewhere in Heaven,By the side of the river of life.
Where the charming roses bloom forever,And where separation comes no more;If we never meet again this side of Heaven,I will meet you on that beautiful shore.
Excerpt from “If We Never Meet Again (This Side of Heaven),” words and music by Albert E. Brumley
Leon Redbone—the ageless guitarist, vocalist, vaudevillian, and time traveler who, by his own account, was writing songs in the early 1900s—has left the galaxy. On the day of his final road trip, the following appeared on his website: “It is with heavy hearts we announce that early this morning, May 30th, 2019, Leon Redbone crossed the delta for that beautiful shore at the age of 127.”
I was 24 in 1990 when I did my first tour with the man whose picture should appear in the dictionary under the word “enigma.” He was the iconic and laconic man-of-mystery in the hat and dark glasses—an image and character he’d created and cultivated to perfection. His debut album, released in 1975, was called—ironically—“On the Track.” His fans thought he was in his 80s or ev
