“Steal Away and Pray,” also known as “I Just Steal Away and Pray,” is a gospel song written by Albert E. Brumley, the Oklahoma songwriter behind a long list of standards including “I’ll Fly Away” and “Turn Your Radio On.” The Stamps Quartet, a southern gospel group, first recorded it in 1948.
The lyric describes a private practice of devotion: whenever the singer falls short or feels burdened, he slips away by himself to pray, trusting that the prayer will be answered. It is a quiet, personal song rather than a shouting number, built on the idea that grace is always within reach.
Brumley’s gospel songs moved freely between southern gospel quartets and bluegrass bands, and “Steal Away and Pray” was taken up by acts including the Louvin Brothers and the Shenandoah Cutups.
