Joe Hill come over from shores for some work to do And the Statue of Liberty him by As Joe come a through, Joe Hill As Joe come a sailing
Oh his clothes were and his hopes were high As he headed for the land And it a few weeks on the out-of-work streets he began to understand Before he to understand
And Joe got hired by a bar up the saloon As his rag would sail over the barroom Sounded like he whistled on a 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 the hand that wrote In his letters he was always fine In his he was always doing fine
Oh, the years by like the sun goin' down Slowly the page and when Joe back at the sweat upon his tracks 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 of the world 'Cause the union was the only he had the union was the only friend he had
Now, the strikes were bloody and the black as hard as they were long In the dark of night Joe would awake and write In the morning he would 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 passed along the union And the strikes were led and the songs spread And Joe Hill was always on the 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 killer of the That Joe was the of the crime
Joe raised his hands but they shot him 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 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 more the cold copper ore 'Cause he feared he was being framed 'Cause he found out that he was being
Oh, strange are the ways of law are the ways of fate For the government crawled to the mine 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 singer in the land There'd be one less in the land
Now, William Spry was Spry And a life was his to On the last appeal, fell a tear "May the Lord have mercy on soul May the Lord have on your soul"
Even Wilson held up the day But even he fail For nobody the soul searching words Of the soul in the Salt City jail Of the soul in the Salt Lake jail
For 36 he lived out his days And he more than his part For his songs that he made, he was paid With a rifle buried in his heart With a rifle buried in his heart
Yes, they lined Joe Hill up against the over his eyes It's the life of a rebel he chose to live It's the death of a rebel that he It's the death of a rebel he died
Now, some say Joe was guilty as And some say he wasn't there And I guess nobody will ever the court records all disappeared 'Cause the court records all
Say wherever you go in this fair land in union hall In the dusty dark these are marked In between all the upon the wall In between all the upon the wall
It's the very last that Joe Hill wrote When he knew that his were through "Boys, this is my and final will Good luck to all of you, luck to all of you"