Lyrics
Farther along we'll know all about it
Farther along we'll understand why
So cheer up my brothers, live in the sunshine
We'll understand this, all by and by
Tempted and tried, I wondered why
The good man dies, the bad man thrives
And Jesus cries because he loves em' both
We're all cast-aways in need of rope
Hangin' on by the last threads of our hope
In a house of mirrors full of smoke
Confusing illusions I've seen
Where did I go wrong, I sang along
To every chorus of the song
That the devil wrote like a piper at the gate
Leading mice and men down to their fate
But some will courageously escape
The seductive voice with a heart of faith
While walkin' the line back home
There's much more to life than we've been told
It's full of beauty that will unfold
And shine like you struck gold my wayward son
That deadweight burden weighs a ton
Go down to the river and let it run
And wash away all the things you've done
Forgiveness, alright
Farther along we'll know all about it
Farther along we'll understand why
So cheer up my brothers, live in the sunshine
We'll understand this, all by and by
But still I get hard pressed on every side
Between the rock and a compromise
Like truth and a pack of lies fightin' for my soul
And I've got no place left go
'Cause I got changed by what I've been shown
There's more glory than the world has known
Keeps me ramblin' on
Skipping like a calf loosed from its stall
I'm free to love once and for all
And even when I fall I'll get back up
For the joy that overflows my cup
Heaven filled me with more than enough
Broke down my levees and my bluffs
Let the flood wash me
And one day when the sky rolls back on us
Some rejoice and the others fuss
Cause every knee must bow and tongue confess
The son of God is forever blessed
His is the kingdom, and we're the guests
So put your voice up to the test
Sing Lord, come soon
Farther along we'll know all about it
Farther along we'll understand why
So cheer up my brothers, live in the sunshine
We'll understand this, all by and by
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
Farther Along sets questions about suffering and injustice beside confidence that understanding will eventually come. The familiar refrain does not offer an immediate explanation; it answers confusion with patient hope. The verses then move through temptation, compromise, forgiveness, freedom, and expectation of Christs return. Images of a river washing away guilt and a burden being released give repentance and mercy a concrete place within the songs account of spiritual struggle.
Several lines closely echo Scripture, especially the description of being hard pressed and the declaration that every knee will bow and every tongue confess. Those allusions strengthen the songs contrast between present uncertainty and Gods final rule. Faith is shown not as freedom from conflict but as the courage to rise after falling, receive forgiveness, and continue homeward. The closing prayer for the Lord to come gathers the songs questions into Christian hope: present trials remain real, yet they are not treated as the final word.
Related Scripture
- 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 Paul describes being hard pressed yet not crushed or abandoned.
- Philippians 2:10-11 The passage says every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
- Malachi 4:2 The prophet pictures the redeemed leaping like calves released from a stall.