Joe Hill over from Sweden shores for some work to do And the Statue of waved him by As Joe come a through, Joe Hill As Joe come a sailing
Oh his were coarse and his hopes were high As he headed for the promised And it took a few on the out-of-work streets Before he to understand Before he to understand
And Joe got by a Bowery bar Sweeping up the As his rag would over the barroom rail Sounded like he on a tune You could almost him whistling on a tune
And Joe on from job to job From the to the railroad line And no matter how hungry the hand that In his letters he was always doing In his letters he was doing fine
Oh, the years by like the sun goin' down Slowly the page and when Joe Looked back at the sweat upon his He had to show but his age He had to show but his age
So he out for the California shore There were just as bad So he joined the industrial of the world the union was the only friend he had 'Cause the union was the only he had
Now, the strikes were and the strikes black as hard as they were long In the of night Joe would stay awake and write In the he would raise them with a song In the morning he would raise them with a
And he wrote his to the tunes of the day To be passed the union vine And the strikes were led and the songs spread And Joe was always on the line Yes, Joe Hill was on the line
Now, in Salt City a murder was made There was hardly a to find Oh, the proof was poor but the sheriff was Joe was the killer of the Joe was the killer of the crime
Joe raised his hands but they him down He had nothing but guilt to a doctor I need and they left him to bleed He made it 'cause he had the will to Yes, he it 'cause he had the will to live
Then the trial was held in a of wood And the killer would be named And the days weighed than the cold copper ore he feared that he was being framed 'Cause he found out that he was framed
Oh, strange are the ways of law Strange are the ways of For the government crawled to the mine call the judge was appointed by the state Yes, the judge was by the state
Oh, Utah justice can be had but not for a man And Joe was by summer early morn That there'd be one singer in the land There'd be one singer in the land
Now, Spry was Governor Spry And a was his to hold On the last appeal, fell a tear "May the Lord have mercy on soul May the have mercy on your soul"
Even President Wilson up the day But he would fail For nobody heard the soul words Of the soul in the Salt Lake City Of the in the Salt Lake City jail
For 36 years he out his days And he more than played his For his songs that he made, he was paid With a bullet buried in his heart With a bullet buried in his heart
Yes, they lined Joe up against the wall Blindfold his eyes It's the life of a rebel that he to live It's the of a rebel that he died It's the of a rebel that he died
Now, some say Joe was guilty as And some say he even there And I guess nobody will ever the court records all disappeared 'Cause the records all disappeared
Say wherever you go in this fair in every union hall In the dark these words are marked In between all the cracks upon the In between all the upon the wall
It's the very last line that Joe wrote he knew that his days were through "Boys, this is my last and final luck to all of you, good luck to all of you"