[Verse 1] I hear that prayer and praying Will change this world around I fold my hands I bow my head I kneel down on the ground I prayed and prayed by night and day And then I prayed some more I prayed till my tongue was dry as dust I prayed till my knees had sores
[Verse 3] Will prayer give jobs at honest pay Will prayer bring stomach full of food Will prayer make rich treat poor folks right Will prayer take out the Ku Klux Klan
[Verse 4] Will prayer cut down the hoodlum bands Will prayer stop the lynchbug hands If all of these things my prayers can do I’ll pray 'til I am black and blue
The words come from the perspective of an impoverished worker and trade union activist. He excoriates what he sees as the futility of prayer to transform society and bring about economic and racial justice. The song serves as a call to action, endorsing trade unionism as an alternative to the passivity of prayer.
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