Reference to: Pie in the sky

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Reference to: Pie in the sky

 

Meaning: A promise of heaven in some vague future while suffering today.

 

Origin:

From the song 'The Preacher and the Slave', which complains about the

theology/philosophy of the Salvation Army. 'You will eat, by and by,

in the glorious land way up high in the sky. Work and pray, live on

hay, you'll get pie in the sky when you die, that's a lie!'.

 

 

 

 

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-pie1.htm

 

 

PIE IN THE SKY

 

[Q] From Lindsay Chalson: " I was wondering if you could tell me where

the phrase pie in the sky came from? "

 

[A] It comes from the Industrial Workers of the World, the

anarchist-syndicalist labour organisation formed in the US in 1905,

often called the Wobblies. The Wobblies concentrated on organising

migrant and casual workers; one of the ways in which they brought such

disparate and fragmented groups together was by song. Every member got

a little red book when he joined, containing parodies of popular songs

or hymns (the book had a motto on the cover: " To Fan the Flames of

Discontent " ). One of the early ones, predating the IWW, was

Hallelujah, I'm a Bum.

 

One IWW member was Joe Hill, a Swedish-born seaman and hobo (one of

the martyrs of the union movement: he was convicted of murder on

dubious evidence and executed in 1915; you may recall a folk song

about him, sung memorably by Joan Baez). He wrote several popular

pro-union parodies for them, such as Coffee An', Nearer My Job to

Thee, The Rebel Girl and The Preacher and the Slave.

 

This last song, dating from 1911, was aimed directly at the Salvation

Army, a body anxious to save the Wobblies' souls, while the Wobblies

were more interested in filling their bellies. The Wobblies hated the

Sally Army's middle-class Christian view that one would get one's

reward in heaven for virtue or suffering on earth. The song was a

parody of the Salvation Army hymn In the Sweet Bye and Bye:

 

The IWW concentrated much of their efforts on organizing the

migratory and casual laborers of the lumber and construction camps. In

between jobs these migrants would gather in the Skid Rows of Chicago,

Portland, Seattle and other cities they used as a " base of

operations. " There on the street corners was the inevitable Salvation

Army band anxious to save lost Wobbly souls.

 

But the Wobblies were more interested in filling their stomachs

than in saving their souls, and they ridiculed the Salvation Army

hymns with biting parodies aimed at what came to be known as " pie in

the sky " preaching....

 

The most successful of these parodies was Joe Hill's masterpiece,

" The Preacher and the Slave, " more widely known as " Pie in the Sky " --

a devastating take-off on the hymn " Sweet Bye and Bye. "

 

Edith Fowke and Joe Glazer, Songs of Work and Protest, New York, NY,

1973, p. 157.

 

First published in the Jul 6, 1911 edition of the Industrial Worker

" Little Red Songbook " as " Long Haired Preachers, " , credited to F. B.

Brechler (subsequently credited to Joe Hill in Mar 6, 1913 fifth edition)

 

 

 

 

THE PREACHER AND THE SLAVE (JOE HILL) (1911)

Tune: " Sweet Bye and Bye " (S. FILLMORE BENNETT/J. P. WEBSTER)

 

 

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 with voices so sweet:

 

CHORUS:

You will eat, bye and bye,

In that glorious land above the sky;

Work and pray, live on hay,

You'll get pie in the sky when you die.

 

The starvation army they play,

They sing and they clap and they pray

'Till 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,

They holler, they jump and they shout.

Give your money to Jesus they say,

He will cure all diseases today.

 

Chorus

 

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: You will eat, by and by,

in the glorious land way up high in the sky.

Work and pray, live on hay,

you'll get pie in the sky when you die, that's a lie

 

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:

 

FINAL CHORUS:

You will eat, bye and bye,

When you've learned how to cook and to fry.

Chop some wood, 'twill do you good,

And you'll eat in the sweet bye and bye.

 

 

 

By 1911, other expressions using pie had already been around for some

time, such as nice as pie and easy as pie and it had begun to be used

for a bribe or political patronage (of rewards being distributed like

slices of pie) so pie was already in the air, so to speak.

 

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