Joe Hill come from Sweden shores Looking for work to do And the Statue of Liberty 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 for the promised land And it a few weeks on the out-of-work streets he began to understand Before he to understand
And Joe got by a Bowery bar Sweeping up the As his rag would sail over the barroom Sounded like he on a tune You could almost hear him whistling on a
And Joe rolled on job to job From the docks to the railroad And no matter how hungry the that wrote In his he was always doing fine In his letters he was doing fine
Oh, the years by like the sun goin' down Slowly turn the and when Joe Looked at the sweat upon his tracks He had to show but his age He had nothing to but his age
So he out for the California shore There were just as bad So he the industrial workers 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 Were black as hard as they long In the dark of Joe would stay awake and write In the morning he raise them with a song In the morning he would them with a song
And he his words to the tunes of the day To be passed along the vine And the strikes were led and the songs were And Joe Hill was on the line Yes, Joe was always on the line
Now, in Salt Lake City a was made There was a clue to find Oh, the proof was poor but the sheriff was Joe was the of the crime Joe was the killer of the crime
Joe raised his hands but shot him down He had but guilt to give It's a doctor I need and left him to bleed He it 'cause he had the will to live Yes, he made it 'cause he had the will to
the trial was held in a building of wood And the killer would be named And the days weighed more than the cold ore 'Cause he feared that he was framed 'Cause he found out that he was being
Oh, are the ways of western law Strange are the of fate For the government crawled to the owner's call That the judge was by the state Yes, the was appointed by the state
Oh, justice can be had but not for a union man And Joe was warned by summer early That there'd be one less singer in the There'd be one less singer in the
Now, William Spry was Governor And a was his to hold On the last appeal, fell a governor's "May the Lord mercy on your soul May the Lord have on your soul"
Even President held up the day But he would fail For heard the soul searching words Of the soul in the Salt Lake City Of the soul in the Lake City jail
For 36 years he lived out his And he more than his part For his songs that he made, he was carefully With a rifle bullet buried in his With a rifle buried in his heart
Yes, they lined Joe up against the wall Blindfold his eyes It's the of a rebel that he chose to live the death of a rebel that he died It's the death of a that he died
Now, some say Joe was as charged And say he wasn't even there And I guess nobody will ever 'Cause the court records all 'Cause the court records all
Say wherever you go in this fair land in union hall In the dusty dark these are marked In all the cracks upon the wall In between all the cracks the wall
It's the very last that Joe Hill wrote When he knew that his were through "Boys, is my last and final will Good to all of you, good luck to all of you"