Joe Hill come over Sweden shores Looking for 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 he began to understand Before he to understand
And Joe got by a Bowery bar up the saloon As his rag would over the barroom rail Sounded he whistled on a tune You could almost hear him whistling on a
And Joe on from job to job From the docks to the railroad And no how hungry the hand that wrote In his letters he was always doing In his he was always doing fine
Oh, the years by like the sun goin' down Slowly turn the page and Joe Looked at the sweat upon his tracks He had to show but his age He had to show but his age
So he out for the California shore There things just as bad So he joined the workers of the world 'Cause the union was the only he had 'Cause the was the only friend he had
Now, the strikes were and the strikes Were black as hard as were long In the dark of Joe would stay awake and write In the morning he would raise them a song In the morning he would raise with a song
And he his words to the tunes of the day To be passed along the union And the strikes were led and the songs were And Joe Hill was on the line Yes, Joe Hill was on the line
Now, in Salt Lake a murder was made There was a clue to find Oh, the proof was poor but the sheriff was Joe was the of the crime That Joe was the killer of the
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 he had the will to live
Then the trial was held in a of wood And there the killer be named And the days weighed more the cold copper ore 'Cause he feared that he was being 'Cause he found out that he was framed
Oh, strange are the of western law Strange are the ways of For the crawled to the mine owner's call the judge was appointed by the state Yes, the judge was by the state
Oh, Utah can be had but not for a union man And Joe was warned by summer morn That there'd be one singer in the land There'd be one less in the land
Now, William was Governor 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 mercy on soul"
Even President Wilson up the day But even he would For nobody the soul searching words Of the soul in the Salt Lake City Of the soul in the Salt Lake City
For 36 years he lived out his And he more than his part For his songs that he made, he was carefully a rifle bullet buried in his heart With a rifle bullet buried in his
Yes, they lined Joe Hill up the wall Blindfold over his It's the life of a rebel he chose to live It's the death of a that he died It's the death of a rebel he died
Now, some say Joe was guilty as And say he wasn't even there And I guess nobody will ever the court records all disappeared 'Cause the court all disappeared
Say wherever you go in this fair land in every hall In the dark these words are marked In all the cracks upon the wall In all the cracks upon the wall
It's the very last line that Joe Hill When he knew that his days through "Boys, is my last and final will Good to all of you, good luck to all of you"