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The Preacher and the Slave

from The Kitchen Chorus Songbook by Spencer Jo & Joseph Barley

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about

The Preacher and the Slave is a protest song written by Joe Hill (1879-1915) and set to the tune of an old Christian hymn. Hill was a dedicated labour activist who was condemned as a communist and blacklisted early in his career. He went on to join the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) union, singing his songs to help recruitment and inspire solidarity. He caused quite a stir among anti- union employers when he encouraged "conscientious withdrawal of efficiency" among their workers. He was sentenced to death in Utah after a grossly unfair murder trial. The public outcry was enormous and prompted an appeal from president Woodrow Wilson. Despite all this, the State of Utah authorized his execution and Joe Hill died with three bullets in his chest. He left his final will as a poem. It reads: Let the merry breezes blow / My dust to where some flowers grow / Perhaps some fading flower then / Would come to life and bloom again.

lyrics

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

D
You will eat, bye and bye
C G
In that glorious land above the sky
G7 C
Work and pray, live on hay
G D C G
You'll get pie in the sky when you die

And the Salvation 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

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

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

credits

from The Kitchen Chorus Songbook, released November 9, 2011

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Joe Vickers Drumheller, Alberta

Farmer by day, troubadour by night, Joe Vickers has logged countless miles on both his combine and tour van. His music explores the human spirit singing of the triumphs and tragedies of everyday life on the prairies.

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