Joe Hill over from Sweden shores for some work to do And the of Liberty waved him by As Joe come a through, Joe Hill As Joe a sailing through
Oh his were coarse and his hopes were high As he headed for the promised And it took a few weeks on the out-of-work Before he began to he began to understand
And Joe got hired by a bar Sweeping up the As his rag would sail over the rail like he whistled on a tune You could hear him whistling on a tune
And Joe on from job to job the docks to the railroad line And no matter how hungry the that wrote In his letters he was always doing In his letters he was always doing
Oh, the years went by like the sun down Slowly the page and when Joe Looked back at the sweat upon his He had nothing to but his age He had nothing to but his age
So he out for the California shore There were just as bad So he joined the workers of the world the union was the only friend he had 'Cause the union was the friend he had
Now, the strikes were and the strikes Were as hard as they were long In the dark of night Joe stay awake and write In the morning he would raise them a song In the morning he would raise them with a
And he his words 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 was always on the line
Now, in Salt Lake a murder was made There was hardly a clue to Oh, the proof was but the sheriff was sure Joe was the of the crime Joe was the killer of the crime
Joe his hands but they shot him down He had but guilt to give It's a doctor I need and they left him to He it 'cause he had the will to live Yes, he it 'cause he had the will to live
Then the trial was held in a building of And there the killer be named And the days weighed more than the cold ore 'Cause he that he was being framed 'Cause he out that he was being framed
Oh, strange are the of western law Strange are the of fate For the government crawled to the mine call That the judge was by the state Yes, the judge was by the state
Oh, justice can be had but not for a union man And Joe was warned by summer early That be one less singer in the land There'd be one less singer in the
Now, Spry was Governor Spry And a was his to hold On the appeal, fell a governor's tear "May the Lord have on your soul May the have mercy on your soul"
Even President Wilson up the day But he would fail For nobody heard the soul searching Of the soul in the Salt Lake City Of the soul in the Lake City jail
For 36 years he out his days And he more played his part For his songs that he made, he was paid With a rifle bullet buried in his With a rifle bullet buried in his
Yes, they lined Joe Hill up against the Blindfold over his It's the of a rebel that he chose to live It's the of a rebel that he died It's the death of a that he died
Now, say Joe was guilty as charged And some say he wasn't even And I guess will ever know the court records all disappeared 'Cause the court records all
Say wherever you go in this fair land in every hall In the dusty dark words are marked In between all the upon the wall In between all the cracks upon the
the very last line that Joe Hill wrote When he knew his days were through "Boys, this is my and final will Good to all of you, good luck to all of you"