Joe Hill come over Sweden shores for some work to do And the Statue of waved him by As Joe come a sailing through, Joe As Joe come a through
Oh his clothes were and his hopes were high As he headed for the land And it took a few on the out-of-work streets Before he began to Before he began to
And Joe got hired by a bar Sweeping up the As his rag would sail over the barroom like he whistled on a tune You could almost him whistling on a tune
And Joe on from job to job From the docks to the railroad And no matter how hungry the hand that In his letters he was always fine In his he was always doing fine
Oh, the years went by like the sun goin' Slowly turn the 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 headed out for the California There were just as bad So he joined the industrial workers of the 'Cause the union was the friend he had the union was the only friend he had
Now, the strikes bloody and the strikes black as hard as they were long In the dark of night Joe stay awake and write In the morning he raise them with a song In the morning he would them with a song
And he wrote his words to the of the day To be along the union vine And the strikes were led and the songs spread And Joe Hill was always on the Yes, Joe Hill was on the line
Now, in Salt Lake a murder was made was hardly a clue to find Oh, the proof was poor but the sheriff was Joe was the of the crime That Joe was the of the crime
Joe raised his hands but shot him down He had but guilt to give a doctor I need and they left him to bleed He made it 'cause he had the will to Yes, he made it 'cause he had the will to
the trial was held in a building of wood And there the killer would be And the days weighed more than the cold ore 'Cause he feared he was being framed 'Cause he found out he was being framed
Oh, strange are the ways of law Strange are the ways of For the government to the mine owner's call That the was appointed by the state Yes, the judge was appointed by the
Oh, Utah can be had but not for a union man And Joe was by summer early morn there'd be one less singer in the land There'd be one less in the land
Now, William Spry was Governor And a life was his to On the last appeal, a governor's tear "May the Lord have mercy on soul May the Lord have on your soul"
Even President Wilson up the day But he would fail For nobody the soul searching words Of the soul in the Salt Lake jail Of the soul in the Salt City jail
For 36 he lived out his days And he more played his part For his songs that he made, he was paid a rifle 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 chose to the death of a rebel that he died It's the death of a that he died
Now, some say Joe was guilty as And say he wasn't even there And I guess nobody ever know the court records all disappeared 'Cause the court all disappeared
Say wherever you go in this land in every union hall In the dark these words are marked In between all the cracks the wall In all the cracks upon the wall
It's the last line that Joe Hill wrote When he knew that his days through "Boys, this is my last and will Good luck to all of you, luck to all of you"