- Petunia Jackson: [after she runs Jim Henry and his crony off] Oh, Lord! Please forgive me for backsliding, but sometimes when you fight the Devil you've got to jab him with his own pitchfork!
- Petunia Jackson: Little Joe, you got a funny feeling?
- Joseph 'Little Joe' Jackson: I've got a feeling, but it ain't funny!
- The General: Don't forget, we can read your thoughts up there too.
- Joseph 'Little Joe' Jackson: Well, that's what I ought to thought.
- Petunia Jackson: Lord, do something about this. Hear my prayer. Send down your wrath and destroy this wicked place!
- Joseph 'Little Joe' Jackson: Of course, I ain't saying I altogether forgot you. You ain't easy to erase from the mind once a man gets to know you good-like.
- Georgia Brown: Why does you want to forget me, sugar?
- Joseph 'Little Joe' Jackson: Well, it seems there was a lot of reasons why; but, for the life of me, I can't seem to think of one of them now.
- Joseph 'Little Joe' Jackson: [when he discovers he's in trouble with the Devil] Oh, me! I'm about the most miserabelest person that ever died!
- Joseph 'Little Joe' Jackson: Georgia, Georgia, remember you're a lady now.
- Georgia Brown: I know it, sugar. I'm just trying to impress them with that fact.
- Jim Henry: [Petunia orders a drink at Jim Henry's] What'll it be, Miss Jackson?
- Petunia Jackson: You may get me a double King Kong!
- Petunia Jackson: I've gone into the hotel business.
- Rev. Green: That's fine.
- Petunia Jackson: He means he's got a job down at that new hotel downtown.
- Joseph 'Little Joe' Jackson: Yes, sir. I'm operative in charge of elevator number two.
- Petunia Jackson: That hotel's all air-conditioned.
- Joseph 'Little Joe' Jackson: You know, honey, when I get rich in the elevator game, maybe I'll air-condition our residence.
- Petunia Jackson: This one's already air-conditioned with half the roof gone.
- Joseph 'Little Joe' Jackson: Don't whistle at me through a church window, gentlemen. Can't you see I'm busy getting saved?
- Petunia Jackson: Little Joe ain't wicked. He's just weak. And if he dies now, the devil's going to get him sure.
- The General: We received a powerful prayer from Petunia here. It was the most powerful piece of praying we's heard up there in a long time.
- The General: I was told to investigate, not to bring you up there.
- Joseph 'Little Joe' Jackson: But you won't be taking no chances, sir. I can be a very handy man up there. I can run the elevator going up, tune harps and mind cherubs, or anything.
- Lucifer Jr.: First thing you know, you'll have a bunch of dice-shooting angels on your hands.
- Joseph 'Little Joe' Jackson: How am I gonna reform if I don't remember what a mess I was in when I was dead?
- Petunia Jackson: [singing] Sometime the cabin gloomy and the table bare, Soon he kiss me and it's Christmas ev'rywhere, Troubles fly away and life is easy go, Does he love me good, that's all I has to know, Seem like happiness is just a thing called Joe, Daaaah dah-dah-dah-dah dah-dah Joe...
- Petunia Jackson: Something tells me I ain't lucky. Let me see you roll them, Jim Henry.
- Jim Henry: Anything to pleasure a lady.
- Joseph 'Little Joe' Jackson: When I gets recovered, I ain't gonna let you break your back working for me.
- Petunia Jackson: Oh, I don't mind, sugar, long as it's you I'm working for.
- Joseph 'Little Joe' Jackson: Well, I'm gonna be good to you from now on. I'm gonna buy you electric washing machine. You ain't gonna do nobody's scrubbing but your own.
- Petunia Jackson: Sure enough? Little Joe, you just about to kill me with kindness.
- Petunia Jackson: [singing] There's a little cabin in the sky, Mister For me and for you, I feel that it's true somehow...
- Petunia Jackson: [singing] We will be, oh, so gay, All we'll do is sing and pray, As the angels go sailing by...
- The Trumpeter: Now, that's gratitude for you. That's gratitude for you. After all the wickedness we done promoted for the big boss ever since Eve got Adam to nibble on that apple. There's a great idea!
- Petunia Jackson: Look at you. Standing all covered with God's good dirt and all the devilishness sweatin' out you. My, but you a handsome sight.
- Petunia Jackson: [singing] On the ball again, I'm ridin' for a fall again, I'm gonna give my all again, Takin' a chance on love...
- Georgia Brown: [singing] Life's full o' consequence, But who's scared of consequence, Let's sip the honey while it's sweet, We could be messin' 'round, But you is digressin' 'round, While I'm tossin' nature at your feet...
- Petunia Jackson: You double-crossing snake! Sneakin' that good-for-nothin' woman in my house the minute my back is turned.
- Domino Johnson: [singing] Just because my hair is curly, And because my teeth are pearly, And just because I always wear a smile, And suits to dress up in the latest style, Gee! I'm glad I'm livin', Why I take troubles all with a smile, Just because my color shade, A wee bit different, baby, That's why they call me "Shine"...
- Petunia Jackson: I know all about that sweepstake money and I'm solid collecting my half, cash on the line.
- Joseph 'Little Joe' Jackson: Well, I don't know if I got that much left, Petunia. No?
- Petunia Jackson: Then you're just in the correct suit to be laid out in.
- Georgia Brown: [singing] What have I got that the others ain't, That always seems to please, T'ain't my perfume, nor my fancy paint, But when I charm the men all swarm, Just like they was bees, There's honey in the honeycomb, There's sugar in the cane, There's oysters in a real oyster stew, And bubbles in sweet Champagne, There's jelly in the jellyroll, And sap in ev'ry tree, Oh, there's honey in the honeycomb...
- Petunia Jackson: Good evening, riffraff! Hello, Jim Henry. Thought I'd just drop round and give your joint the once-over.
- Joseph 'Little Joe' Jackson: Why, Petunia, is this really you?
- Petunia Jackson: But not the same me you used to break her back busting suds over a tub for you!
- Joseph 'Little Joe' Jackson: Why, you - you're beautiful, Petunia!
- Petunia Jackson: Oh, save that sugarcoated talk for your girlfriend.
- Georgia Brown: Now, you just be a little more careful what you say to your wife in front of me.
- Joseph 'Little Joe' Jackson: Georgia, you keep out of this.
- Georgia Brown: I'm speakin' my mind.
- Petunia Jackson: And I ain't heard a sound.
- Petunia Jackson: I suddenly feel a musical urge.
- Domino Johnson: Mrs. Jackson, to your musical urge.
- Petunia Jackson: [singing] Oh, there's honey in the honeycomb, There's nectar in the peach, There's candy in a coconut shell, And mussels on ev'ry beach, Ooh, there's money in the savings bank, And I personally guarantee, If there's honey in the honeycomb, Then, baby look out, ooh, there's love in me...