There was a man called Hezekiah Jones once
And he never had much except for farm and some land
He ate what he raised
But in the cupboard he kept there in the cupboard
What he called for the rainy season
That is when he'd have something left-over
He'd spend it and he'd buy books
And he'd read his books, kept 'em aroud the cupboard

White folks around the county said:
"Well he's harmless 'nough I suppose
But the way I look at it he gotta put down them God-damn books
Readin' ain't no good for an ignorant n***a
Reverend Green of the Whiteman's church came around that year
Knockin' on doors he knocked on Hezekiah's door

He says "Hezekiah, you believe in the Lord?"
Hezekiah says: "Well I never seen the Lord, I can't say "yes I do"
Can't believe in nothing you don't see"
He says "Hezekiah, you believe in the church?"
Hezekiah says: "Well church is divided ain't they? They can't make up their minds, I just like them you know, I can't make up my neither"
Reverend says: "Hezekiah you believe in that if a man is good heaven is his last reward?"
Hezekiah says: "I'm good, I'm good, I'm as good as my neighbor"
"You don't believe in nothing" says the white man's preacher
"Oh, oh yes I do," says Hezekiah, "I believe that a man should be beholding to his neighbor not for the reward of the heaven or the fear of the hell-fire"
"What you don't understand" says the white man's preacher "there's a lot of good ways for a man to be wicked"
That man hung Hezekiah as high up as a pigeon
White folks around said "Well he had it comin' the son of a bitch never had no religion"