Joe Hill

[Verse 1]
Joe Hill come over from Sweden shores
Looking for some work to do
And the Statue of Liberty waved him by
As Joe come a sailing through, Joe Hill
As Joe come a sailing through

[Verse 2]
Oh his clothes were coarse and his hopes were high
As he headed for the promised land
And it took a few weeks on the out-of-work streets
Before he began to understand
Before he began to understand

[Verse 3]
And Joe got hired by a Bowery bar
Sweeping up the saloon
As his rag would sail o'er the barroom rail
Sounded like he whistled on a tune
You could almost hear him whistling on a tune

[Verse 4]
And Joe rolled on from job to job
From the docks to the railroad line
And no matter how hungry the hand that wrote
In his letters he was always doing fine
In his letters he was always doing fine

[Verse 5]
Oh, the years went by like the sun goin' down
Slowly turn the page
And when Joe looked back at the sweat upon his tracks
He had nothing to show but his age
He had nothing to show but his age

[Verse 6]
So he headed out for the California shore
There things were just as bad
So he joined the Industrial Workers of the World
'Cause the union was the only friend he had
'Cause the union was the only friend he had

[Verse 7]
Now the strikes were bloody and the strikes were black
As hard as they were long
In the dark of the night Joe would stay awake and write
In the morning he would raise them with a song
In the morning he would raise them with a song

[Verse 8]
And he wrote his words to the tunes of the day
To be passed along the union vine
And the strikes were led and the songs were spread
And Joe Hill was always on the line
Yes, Joe Hill was always on the line

[Verse 9]
Now in Salt Lake City a murder was made
There was hardly a clue to find
Oh, the proof was poor, but the sheriff was sure
Joe was the killer of the crime
That Joe was the killer of the crime

[Verse 10]
Joe raised his hands but they shot him down
He had nothing but guilt to give
It's a doctor I need and they left him to bleed
But he made it 'cause he had the will to live
Yes, he made it 'cause he had the will to live

[Verse 11]
Then the trial was held in a building of wood
And there the killer would be named
And the days weighed more than the cold copper ore
'Cause he feared that he was being framed
'Cause he found out that he was being framed

[Verse 12]
Oh, strange are the ways of the western law
Strange are the ways of fate
For the government crawled to the mine owner's call
And the judge was appointed by the state
Yes, the judge was appointed by the state

[Verse 13]
Oh, Utah justice can be had
But not for a union man
And Joe was warned by summer early morn
There'd be one less singer in the land
There'd be one less singer in the land

[Verse 14]
Now William Spry was Governor Spry
And a life was his to hold
On the last appeal, fell a governor's tear
May the Lord have mercy on your soul
May the Lord have mercy on his soul

[Verse 15]
Even President Wilson held up the day
But even he would fail
For nobody heard the soul searching words
Of the soul in the Salt Lake City jail
Of the soul in the Salt Lake City jail

[Verse 16]
For thirty-six years he lived out his days
And he more than played his part
For the songs that he made, he was carefully paid
With a rifle bullet buried in his heart
With a rifle bullet buried in his heart

[Verse 17]
Yes, they lined Joe Hill up against the wall
Blindfold over his eyes
It's the life of the rebel that he chose to live
It's the death of the rebel that he died
It's the death of the rebel that he died

[Verse 18]
Now some say Joe was guilty as charged
And some say he wasn't even there
And I guess nobody will ever know
'Cause the court records all disappeared
'Cause the court records all disappeared

[Verse 19]
Say wherever you go in this fair land
In every union hall
In the dusty dark these words are marked
In between all the cracks upon the wall
In between all the cracks upon the wall

[Verse 20]
It's the very last line that Joe Hill wrote
When he knew that his days were through
"Boys, this is my last and final will
Good luck to all of you
Good luck to all of you"