"Work and pray, live on hay, you'll get pie in the sky when you die"

Joe Hill's line "Work and pray, live on hay, you'll get castle in the air when you pass away" is a poignant review of social structures that promise deferred rewards for hard work and faith, typically at the cost of present wellness and justice. This quote, stemming from Hill's tune "The Preacher and the Slave," encapsulates the aggravation and suspicion of employees who are told to withstand hardship and work with the pledge of a better afterlife or future advantages that might never materialize.

Hill, a popular labor activist and songwriter in the early 20th century, used his music as a form of protest versus the exploitation of working-class individuals. His message here brings into question the platitudes provided by religious and economic organizations, which typically motivated employees to accept their lot in life with the guarantee of ultimate heavenly rewards or posthumous acknowledgment for their sacrifices.

The expression "work and pray" highlights the double pressure on the working class to labor non-stop while preserving faith in a system that appears to benefit others more than themselves. "Live on hay" metaphorically captures the weak existence these workers were frequently subjected to-- enduring on minimal resources while being continuously urged to be content and grateful.

The pledge of "pie in the sky when you die" is a sharp, cynical method of stating that the promised benefits, whether spiritual or material, are illusory. Hill underscores the futility of awaiting change without doing something about it, recommending that reliance on hollow guarantees leads just to continued oppression.

In essence, Hill's lyric is a call to awareness and action. It urges the working masses to acknowledge the vacuum of delayed pledges and instead defend tangible, instant improvements to their lives. This sentiment resonates with more comprehensive themes in labor and social justice movements, advocating for equity, fair treatment, and the empowerment of workers to demand the fruits of their labor in the present, not simply in some unguaranteed future.