Bob Dylan - Black Cross lyrics

This is the story of Hezekiah Jones Hezekiah Jones lived in a place... in Arkansas He never had too much, except he had some land An' he had a couple of hogs and things like that He never had much money But he'd spend what he did make as fast as he made it So it never really mattered that he had much money But in a cupboard there, he kept in the cupboard... He kept in the cupboard books He called the books his "rainy season." The white folks around the county there talked about Hezekiah... They... said, "Well... old Hezekiah, he's harmless enough But the way I see it he better put down them goddam books Readin' ain't no good, for n***a is n***a." One day the white man's preacher came around Knockin' on doors, knockin' on all the doors in the county He knocked on Hezekiah's door He says, "Hezekiah, you believe in the Lord?" Hezekiah says, "Well, I don't know, I never really SEEN the Lord I can't say, yes, I do..." He says, "Hezekiah, you believe in the Church?" Hezekiah says, "Well, the Church is divided, ain't they And... they can't make up their minds I'm just like them, I can't make up mine either." He says, "Hezekiah, you believe that if a man is good Heaven is his last reward?" Hezekiah says, "I'm good... good as my neighbor." "You don't believe in nothin'," said the white man's preacher You don't believe in nothin'!" "Oh yes, I do," says Hezekiah "I believe that a man should be indebted to his neighbors Not for the reward of a Heaven or fear of hellfire." "But you don't understand," said the white man's preacher "There's a lot of good ways for a man to be wicked..." Then they hung Hezekiah high as a pigeon White folks around there said, "Well... he had it comin' 'Cause the son-of-a-b**h never had no religion!"