Joe Hill over from 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 coarse and his hopes were As he headed for the land And it a few weeks on the out-of-work streets Before he to understand Before he began to
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 From the docks to the railroad And no matter how hungry the hand that In his letters he was always doing In his letters he was always fine
Oh, the went by like the sun goin' down Slowly turn the page and Joe Looked back at the upon his tracks He had to show but his age He had to show but his age
So he headed out for the shore There things just as bad So he joined the industrial workers of the the union was the only friend he had 'Cause the union was the only he had
Now, the were bloody and the strikes black as hard as they were long In the dark of night Joe would stay awake and In the morning he raise them with a song In the morning he would them with a song
And he wrote his to the tunes of the day To be passed along the vine And the strikes were led and the were spread And Joe was always on the line Yes, Joe was always on the line
Now, in Lake City a murder was made was hardly a clue to find Oh, the proof was but the sheriff was sure Joe was the of the crime That Joe was the killer of the
Joe raised his hands but shot him down He had nothing but guilt to It's a I need and they left him to bleed He made it 'cause he had the will to Yes, he it 'cause he had the will to live
Then the trial was held in a of wood And the killer would be named And the days more than the cold copper ore 'Cause he that he was being framed 'Cause he found out that he was being
Oh, strange are the of western law Strange are the ways of For the government crawled to the mine owner's the judge was appointed 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 morn That be one less singer in the land There'd be one singer in the land
Now, William was Governor Spry And a life was his to On the last appeal, fell a governor's "May the Lord have mercy on soul May the have mercy on your soul"
Even President Wilson up the day But even he fail For nobody heard the searching words Of the in the Salt Lake City jail Of the soul in the Salt Lake City
For 36 he lived out his days And he more than played his For his songs that he made, he was carefully With a rifle bullet buried in his a rifle bullet buried in his heart
Yes, they Joe Hill up against the wall Blindfold over his It's the of a rebel that he chose to live It's the death of a rebel he died the death of a rebel that he died
Now, say Joe was guilty as charged And say he wasn't even there And I guess will 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 dusty these words are marked In between all the cracks the wall In between all the cracks upon the
It's the very last line that Joe wrote When he knew that his days were "Boys, this is my and final will Good luck to all of you, good to all of you"