They say the wages of sin is death
And the stain is handed down through the generations
But Papa, he couldn't help himself
So I live with the threat of damnation

He hoarded his wheat and his gold
Even when the neighbors were starvin'
He claimed he was named by the Lord
But all the while it was Satan who had charmed him

I hear the angels beckoning
And I fear the day of reckoning
When the sins of the father are borne by the child
I hear the angels beckoning
And I fear the day of reckoning
When the truth that we've buried can no longer be denied

My mother she stood by his side
She was his good servant and help mate
She chose to remain dumb and blind
And in so doing, she sealed her own fate

I hear the angels beckoning
And I fear the day of reckoning
When the sins of the father are borne by the child
I hear the angels beckoning
And I fear the day of reckoning
When the truth that we've buried can no longer be denied

Now papa he died in his sleep
They think it was his heart up and failed him
I overheard the postman say
He was blessed to pass before they jailed him

I hear the angels beckoning
And I fear the day of reckoning
When the sins of the father are borne by the child
I hear the angels beckoning
And I fear the day of reckoning
When the truth that we've buried can no longer be denied

Denied, denied, denied