Preacher and the Slave (Communist Version)

A song originally written by Joe Hill for the IWW to satirise the Salvation Army, an organisation which tried to drown out IWW with their religious music. In this version the lyrics were slightly altered to be more revolutionary by the Progressive Labor Party.

Performer: Progressive Labor Party
Year recorded: 1970s
Composer: Joseph P. Webster (From "In the Sweet By-and-By")
Year Composed: 1868
Lyricist: Joe Hill
Year Written: 1911
Source: Vinyl Record "A World to Win"
Image: Soviet poster "The Triumph of Christianity" (Торжество Христианства), 1923.

[arcpaimon]

I love how in the end they basically say that when the world is free of the bosses, the bosses will have to now learn how to do stuff for their own lol

[NacaoBrasa]

I loved it! Much love from Brazil to the american comrades!

[kurtberliner]

IWW music needs more recognition and use by the American left. A lot of the lyrics can be easily changed to match our modern struggles.

[Arbeiter]

as a christian I am sad to see what capitalism has done to my religion and the art used in this video is a very true depiction of religion in capitalist countries. also good song :)

[hans-rosakrause]

Cool song! What's the poster?
Edit: Soviet poster "The Triumph of Christianity" (Торжество Христианства), 1923 (from description)

[uploade]

"Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you." - James, the brother of Jesus Christ

[WorkersRepublicofparava]

"Jesus said to rich give your goods to the poor so they sent Jesus to his grave"

[ToriiDawdy]

Thanks for this song ! Making it avialble is collective wealth on a mostly open forum ! Cheers from Texas @

[KohanKilletz]

I hope that wherever you are, you are safe the government in most countries does not take very kindly to bad guys like us!

[t.m.]

Nice one. I love communist country songs it's two worlds colliding.

[averagetitoenjoyer]

I clicked on this video because the picture is included in my reprint of the communist manifesto

[kowalskichip]

Do you have the full album and if so will you please upload the rest of the songs from it?

[emrecanarduc]

drawing of this video says a lot without a single word also beutifull lyrics !

[russellgrosser-]

Sing this to Bezos, Koch, Slim, Buffett, Walton, Mnuchin, and all the heads operating the private equity firms. Oh, and all the sports billionaire owners who thrive on corporate welfare, too.

Workers of the world, unite!

[Condobius]

I prefer the original version myself since this one is more heavy-handed with it at the cost of its charm, but nice performance nonetheless

[moonbeamchaos]

Please look up the IWW and / or Joe Hill.

[かびた靴下]

What is mean the "Starvation Army"? Isn't it Salvation Army?

[VLSMITH]

This cartoon is actually shows what the Catholic Church really is! The greatest institution of capitalists brutes in the world! It never was Christian at all!

[yamameeven]

Religion and socialism, together forever! Fight evil capitalism!

[derstoffausdemderjoghurtis]

Note that Jesus preached a present tense kingdom of heaven, not one in the by and by/after you die or "high above the sky":

His disciples said to him, "When will the kingdom come?"
"It will not come by waiting for it.
It will not be a matter of saying 'Here it is' or 'There it is.'
Rather, the kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth,
and men do not see it."

Also:

Jesus said,
"If those who lead you say to you, 'See, the kingdom is in the sky, '
then the birds of the sky will precede you.
If they say to you, 'It is in the sea, ' then the fish will precede you.
Rather, the kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you.
-
When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known,
and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living Father.
But if you will not know yourselves,
you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty."