Origins: Pie in the Sky/Preacher and the Slave

Subject: Pie in the Sky, I think
From: Fedele
Date: 13 May 00 - 07:44 AM

I'm looking for the lyrics of a song I heard in a film about Woody Guthrie's life. I didn't understand much of the lyrics, but the title should be "Pie in the Sky" and it should be traditional. The chorus should be something like "you'll fly like a pie in the sky when you die", and the last verse (?) begins, as far as I can understand, singing "Working men of the world unite, side by side". Can anyone help me?

Subject: Lyr Add: PIE IN THE SKY
From: Allan C.
Date: 13 May 00 - 08:17 AM

Long-haired preachers come out ev'ry night,
Try to tell you what's wrong and what's right;
But when asked what about something to eat,
They will answer in accents so sweet:

Chorus:
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 no lie!)

And the starvation army they play,
And they sing and they clap and they pray,
'Til they get all your coin on the drum,
Then they'll tell you when you're on the bum:

Chorus

Holy rollers and jumpers come out,
And they holler and jump and they shout,
But when eating time comes around they will say,
"You will eat on that glorious day."

Chorus

________

This is, of course, to the tune of "In the Sweet Bye and Bye".

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Pie in the Sky, I think
From: Allan C.
Date: 13 May 00 - 08:19 AM

I don't know what happened to the word, "above". Sorry.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Pie in the Sky, I think
From: Midchuck
Date: 13 May 00 - 08:31 AM

But it isn't a Woody Guthrie song. It's by Joe Hill his own self.

Peter.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Pie in the Sky, I think
From: Giac
Date: 13 May 00 - 11:34 AM

The song is called The Preacher and the Slave. It's in the DigiTrad, but i'm not good at links. So, you can search for the title, or just for Pie or Pie in the sky. It has all the words, and a link to the tune as well.

Good luck, sorry I can't give you a direct link.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Pie in the Sky, I think
From: Sourdough
Date: 13 May 00 - 03:56 PM

Somebody should mention that the song is a parody of a lovely old hymn, "In the Sweet Bye and Bye". Hill and other radical activists took the positon that religion, specifically Christianity, made workers settle for less than economic justice because their reward would come later when they were lifted up into heaven to be with Jesus. This song pokes wicked fun at the "long haired preachers" and their promises of a glorious afterlife, their "pie in the sky" promises.

Sourdough

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Pie in the Sky, I think
From: Doctor John
Date: 13 May 00 - 06:17 PM

Last verse:-

Working men from all countries unite, Side by side for freedom we will fight' Till this world and its wealth we have gained, To the grafters we'll sing this refrain:

You will eat by and by, When you've learned how to cook and to fry, Chop some wood it'll do you good; You will eat in that sweet by and by.

(That's a lie!)

Good recordings by Cisco and Oscar Brandt.

Does anyone know the film "The Ballad of Joe Hill" which I saw on BBC TV in the 70's and have never heard of since. I recall it showed Joe Hill listening (and heckling?) a preacher and writing this song. Dr John

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Pie in the Sky, I think
From: Fedele
Date: 14 May 00 - 07:48 AM

Thank you everyone

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Pie in the Sky, I think
From: GUEST
Date: 24 Jul 06 - 10:40 PM

what chords do you guys play for this song?

Subject: Chords: Preacher and the Slave
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Jul 06 - 12:07 AM

Hi - I'm not a guitarist, but here are the chords they have in the Rise Up Singing songbook.

(in 3/4 time)

G C G - / - - D - / G C G - / - D G -

CHORUS:
G - D - / - - G - / - - C - / G D G -

The slashes separate lines, and there's one letter or dash for each measure - the dash indicates you play the same chord as in the measure before.

Hope that's a start.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Pie in the Sky
From: Mrrzy
Date: 16 Oct 22 - 03:35 PM

Ok. All these years I thought this was an *atheist* hymn because my mondegreen was There'll be pie in the sky when you die, that's THE lie..