My Religion by Andrew Barton Paterson — Read

Let Romanists all at the Confessional kneel, / Let the Jew with disgust turn from it, / Let the mighty Crown Prelate in Church pander zeal, / Let the Mussulman worship Mahomet.

From all these I differ -- truly wise is my plan, / With my doctrine, perhaps, you'll agree, / To be upright and downright and act like a man, / That's the religion for me.

I will go to no Church and to no house of Prayer / To see a white shirt on a preacher. / And in no Courthouse on a book will I swear / To injure a poor fellow-creature.

For parsons and preachers are all a mere joke, / Their hands must be greased by a fee; / But with the poor toiler to share your last "toke"* / That's the religion for me.

[Footnote: "Toke" is a slang word for bread.]

Let Psalm-singing Churchmen and Lutheran sing, / They can't deceive God with their blarney; / They might just as well dance the Highland Fling, / Or sing the fair fame of Kate Kearney.

But let man unto man like brethren act, / My doctrine this suits to a T, / The heart that can feel for the woes of another, / Oh, that's the religion for me.