Farther Along - Alan Curtis - Traditional Hymn Covers

This video is in tribute to Alan Curtis, of whom created this YouTube channel.

In March of 2022, my father, Alan, went to be with the Lord. A week or two following his passing, I stumbled upon this recording while organizing his digital archives. Initially, I thought his cover of this song had been unreleased, but later remembered he had posted it on Facebook a couple years back right before he deleted his account.

Nonetheless, I couldn't help but feel like he had, in a way, eulogized his own life with this recording. This timeless hymn wrestles with many of the struggles all Christians, and really all people face. Perhaps at the most obvious; why does evil prosper? Why do those who try to do good (in the eyes of the Lord) suffer?

I think further, this hymn wrestles with the Earthly struggle of sin, and understanding how God, who we know is just and righteous, can allow His children suffer. However, some things we will only understand somewhere... farther along, when we leave our loved ones and Earthen struggles and join Him at the gates of heaven. A somber, pensive tune, but more importantly, with a very uplifting and steadfast spine, always with its eyes on Jesus, supporting it.

I'm not entirely sure when my dad recorded this, as I thought he did ~2019-2020, but I see files dating back to 2013. This video is a small tribute and mostly a lyric video. The bulk of the footage was shot in 'the dungeon'. When my parents moved to Hawaii, they were fortunate enough to find rentals with an extra room for his home studio. Each iteration was still 'the dungeon', which is where all the videos on this channel were recorded.

In a world where I have a lot more time, maybe I would have pieced together a video collage of his life, but I feel with limited time and showcasing his work, keeping things simple with his beloved ocean and dungeon, that this is a tribute worthy of his beautiful cover.

Here he lived. Here he dwelled. Here he created. And here he spent his final days.

If you stumble upon this video, I hope the cover brightens your day.

- James Curtis

Refrain:
Farther along we’ll know all about it,
Farther along we’ll understand why;
Cheer up, don't worry, live in the sunshine,
We’ll understand it all by and by.

"Faithful till death," says our loving Master,
A few more days to labor and wait;
Toils of the road will then seem as nothing,
As we sweep through the beautiful gate. [Refrain]

When we see Jesus coming in glory,
When He comes from His home in the sky;
Then we shall meet Him in that bright mansion,
We'll understand it all by and by. [Refrain]