Reference
About the Song
This song is on a cassette made in 1987 by Friends United Meeting called "Go Cheerfully". The songbook of the same title (co-edited by the song's editor, Barbara Mays) may or may not still available for $5 from Friends United Meeting bookstore.
The original song is based on the (perhaps apocryphal) story of William Penn asking George Fox (a key founder of Quakerism) if it was all right for him to wear a ceremonial sword that was associated his upper class position in society. Reportedly Fox "Wear it as long as you can."
The video below uses the same melody so it may help you learn the original song. This is new lyrics to the same melody by Margaret Fisher on vegetarianism.
Annie recorded a portion of the song for the teaching disc "F" which covers songs in the Faith chapter of Rise Up Singing.
We will work on trying to post her recording on our YouTube channel.
Alt Lyrics
"Eat Them As Long As You Can"
George Fox, you wore leather, and so we surmise,
The killing of animals you must think wise.
But what say you, Friends, when you look in their eyes?
We all are graced by the Spirit’s embrace,
So eat them as long as you can.
From time immemorial we’ve slaughtered the cow.
We’ve slaughtered each other and so must allow,
What we did before this we need not do now (refrain)
But what about protein, we fear for our health?
What’s killing you now is an excess of wealth.
The factory farms are diseasing your hearts,
(refrain)
And why not eat dairy they locally grow,
Those chickens range freely, the labels say so?
Misleading - and ask where the boy chickens go, (refrain)
But why should we speak out, it isn’t polite,
We don’t do the killing, we walk in the Light?
It takes more than silence to know what is right,
(refrain)
We’ve emptied the oceans, tormented the beasts,
We do to our souls what we’ve done to the least,
So give love a chance when you sit down to feast,
(refrain)
—Lyrics by Margaret Fisher, music by Barbara Bennett Mays (“Wear It As Long As You Can”)
With permission from Barbara Bennett Mays
How does eating animals fit in with Quaker testimonies? Why are so many Quakers led to become vegetarian or vegan? Are we living in unity with the rest of the living world?