The Preacher and the Slave

Happy Monday, readers! In recognition of the work week starting yet again, today's song is a piece from the Industrial Workers of the World. "The Preacher and the Slave", also called "Long-Haired Preachers", was written by union organizer and later martyr Joe Hill in 1911. The song was written during a period of conflict between the anti-capitalist IWW and the Salvation Army, which opposed the union's leftist goals. In some cases, bosses opposed to the IWW's message would even send in Salvation Army bands to drown out agitators and speakers. This song is one of several parodying the Salvation Army's hymns- in this case, the song "In the Sweet By and By", written in 1868 by S. Fillmore Bennett and Joseph P Webster. 

The following rendition is by Utah Phillips, the late famous folk singer, Wobbly, and co-founder of the Catholic Workers' Joe Hill House of Hospitality in Salt Lake City.

This rendition is by Blake Hutchings, a UK-based singer/songwriter

The lyrics are as follows, with the parts in brackets often shouted by other performers, as seen in this recording of myself and a banjo-picker named Rachel perform it some years ago in St. Cloud.

Verse #1:
 G                          C         G
 Long-haired preachers come out every night 
 G                                       D                
 Try to tell you what's wrong and what's right
 G                        C            G
 But when asked how 'bout something to eat 
 G                   D         G
 They will answer in voices so sweet 

 Chorus Type #1:
 G                     C 
 You will eat [you will eat!], bye and bye [by and by!]
 G                               D
 In that glorious land above the sky [way up high!]
 G                      C
 Work and pray, live on hay [live on hay!] 
 G                     D            G
 You'll get pie in the sky when you die [that's a lie!]

 Verse #2:
 G                  C          G
 And the Starvation Army, they play 
 G                                    D
 And they sing and they clap and they pray 
 G                      C           G
 Till they get all your coin on the drum 
 G                       D             G
 Then they tell you when you're on the bum 

 Chorus Type #1 

 Verse #3:
 G                C            G
 Holy Rollers and Jumpers come out 
 G                                   D 
 And they holler, they jump and they shout 
 G                  C           G
 Give your money to Jesus, they say 
 G                  D        G      
 He will cure all diseases today 

 Chorus Type #1 

 Verse #4:
 G                     C            G
 If you fight hard for children and wife
 G                                 D
 Try to get something good in this life 
 G                   C             G
 You're a sinner and bad man, they tell 
 G                     D          G
 When you die you will sure go to hell.  

 Chorus Type #1

 Verse #5:
 G                 C           G
 Workingmen of all countries, unite 
 G                                D
 Side by side we for freedom will fight 
 G                      C              G
 When the world and its wealth we have gained 
 G                     D           G
 To the grafters we'll sing this refrain 

 Chorus Type #2: 
 G                     C
 You will eat, bye and bye [bye and bye]
 G                                          D
 When you've learned how to cook and how to fry [how to fry!]
 G                             C
 Chop some wood [chop some wood], 'twill do you good [do you good]
 G                      D             G
 Then you'll eat in the sweet bye and bye [that's no lie!]