I'm sure I saw a thread here on the Mudcat which covered this, but....

Apparently the song we know was modified by AP Carter of the Carter Family. Their version is called "Can the Circle Be Unbroken". The original is "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" by Fanny Crosby.

Some of the hymns of Fanny Crosby are here: Fanny Crosby Hymns

Here are her words:

WILL THE CIRCLE BE UNBROKEN

This is the original version of the famous Grand Ole Opry closing song. It was written in 1907. The Carter family recorded a variation of this song called Can The Circle Be Unbroken in 1935, which became a favorite at the Grand Ole Opry.

1. There are loved ones in the glory,
Whose dear forms you often miss:
When you close your earthly story,
Will you join them in their bliss?

CHORUS: Will the circle be unbroken
By and by, by and by?
In a better home awaiting
In the sky, in the sky?

2. In the joyous days of childhood,
Oft they told of wondrous love,
Pointed to the dying Savior
Now they dwell with Him above.

3. You can picture happy gath'rings
Round the fireside long ago.
And you think of tearful partings,
When they left you here below:

4. One by one heir seats were emptied,
One by one they went away;
Here the circle has been broken
Will it be complete one day?

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See above (and below). George's attribution of song authorship to Fanny Crosby is apparently incorrect.
-Joe Offer-