The Preacher and the Slave

by Joe Hill

Verse #1:

Long-haired preachers come out every night
Try to tell you what’s wrong and what’s right
But when asked how ’bout something to eat
They will answer in voices so sweet

Chorus Type #1:

You will eat, bye and bye
In that glorious land above the sky (Way up high!)
Work and pray, live on hay
You’ll get pie in the sky when you die (That’s a lie!)

Verse #2:

And the Starvation Army, they play
And they sing and they clap and they pray
Till they get all your coin on the drum
Then they tell you when you’re on the bum

Chorus Type #1

Verse #3:

Holy Rollers and Jumpers come out
And they holler, they jump and they shout
Give your money to Jesus, they say
He will cure all diseases today

Chorus Type #1

Verse #4:

If you fight hard for children and wife
Try to get something good in this life
You’re a sinner and bad man, they tell
When you die you will sure go to hell.

Chorus Type #1

Verse #5:

Workingmen of all countries, unite
Side by side we for freedom will fight
When the world and its wealth we have gained
To the grafters we’ll sing this refrain

Chorus Type #2:

You will eat, bye and bye
When you’ve learned how to cook and how to fry
Chop some wood, ‘twill do you good
Then you’ll eat in the sweet bye and bye

The chorus is sung in a call and response pattern.

You will eat [You will eat] bye and bye [bye and bye]
In that glorious land above the sky [Way up high]
Work and pray [Work and pray] live on hay [live on hay]
You’ll get pie in the sky when you die [That’s a lie!]

Thus the final verse becomes:

You will eat [You will eat] bye and bye [bye and bye]
When you’ve learned how to cook and how to fry [and bake a pie!]
Chop some wood [Chop some wood], ‘twill do you good [do you good]
Then you’ll eat in the sweet bye and bye [That’s no lie]

Read more about The Preacher and the Slave at Wikipedia.