“They Won’t Go When I Go“ is a song co-written and performed by Stevie Wonder from his 1974 album Fulfillingness’ First Finale.
This song is the only one on the album that Wonder did not write by himself. His co-writer was Yvonne Lowrene Wright, who co-wrote songs with Wonder for other albums. Wright’s sister, Syreeta Wright, was Wonder’s first wife.
Music: Stevie Wonder
Poetry: Yvonne Wright
No more lying friends
Wanting tragic ends
Though they do pretend
They won’t go when I go
All those bleeding hearts
With sorrows to impart
Were right here from the start
And they won’t go when I go
And I’ll go where I’ve longed
To go so long
Away from tears
Gone from painful cries
Away from saddened eyes
Along with him I’ll bide
Because they won’t go when I go
Big men feeling small
Weak ones standing tall
I will watch them fall
They won’t go when I go
And I’ll go where I’ve longed
To go so long
Away from tears
Unclean minds mislead the pure
The innocent will leave for sure
For them there is a resting place
People sinning just for fun
They will never see the sun
For they can never show their faces
There ain’t no room for the hopeless sinner
Who will take more than he will give
He ain’t hardly gonna give
The greed of man will be
Far away from me
And my soul will be free
They won’t go when I go
Since my soul conceived
All that I believe
The kingdom I will see
’Cause they won’t go when I go
When I go
Where I’ll go
No one can keep me
From my destiny.