Classic Poem

VERSE

Oh,
I got a message from below,
'Twas from a man I used to know
About a year or so ago,
Before he departed.
He is just as happy as can be,
I'll tell you what he said to me,
He said, " If ever you get heavy-hearted,

REFRAIN

Pack up your sins and go
To the devil. In Hades
You'll meet the finest of gentlemen
And the finest of ladies.
They'd rather be down below than up above.
Hades is full of thousands of
Joneses and Browns,
O'Hoolihans, Cohens, and Bradys.
You'll hear a heavenly tune
That went to the devil
Because the jazz bands
They started pickin' it,
Then put a trick in it,
A jazzy kick in it.
They've got a couple of old reformers in heaven
Making them go to bed at eleven.
Pack up your sins and go to the devil,
And you'll never have to go to bed at all.

PATTER

If you care to dwell where the weather is hot,
H-E-double-L is a wonderful spot.
If you need a rest and you're all out of sorts,
Hades is the best of the winter resorts.
Paradise doesn't compare;
All the nice people are there.
They come from ev'rywhere
Just to revel with Mister Devil.
Nothing on his mind but a couple of horns,
Satan is waitin' with his jazz band
And
His
Band
Came from Alabam'
With a melody hot.
No one gives a damn
If it's music or not.
Satan's melody
Makes you want to dance forever,
And you never have to go to bed at all. "

THEN THE PATTER AND THE REFRAIN ARE SUNG IN COUNTERPOINT