Phil Ochs - Joe Hill Lyrics
Pre>f fsus f c (open d string/then back on 2nd fret)Joe hill come over from sweden shoresF fsus f cLooking for some work to doF c amAnd the statue of liberty waved him byC (open d string/place finger on g st. 2nd fret/return)As joe come a sailing through, joe hillC g7 cAs joe come a sailing through.Oh his clothes were coarse and his hopes were highAs he headed for the promised landAnd it took a few weeks on the out-of-work streetsBefore he began to understandBefore he began to understandAnd joe got hired by a bowery barSweeping up the saloonAs his rag would sail over the baroom railSounded like he whistled on a tuneYou could almost hear him whistling on a tuneAnd joe rolled on from job to jobFrom the docks to the railroad lineAnd no matter how hungry the hand that wroteIn his letters he was always doing fineIn his letters he was always doing fineOh, the years went by like the sun goin downSlowly turn the pageAnd when joe looked back at the sweat upon his tracksHe had nothing to show but his ageHe had nothing to show but his ageSo he headed out for the california shoreThere things were just as badSo he joined the industrial workers of the worldcause, the union was the only friend he hadcause, the union was the only friend he hadNow the strikes were bloody and the strikes were blackAs hard as they were longIn the dark of night joe would stay awake and writeIn the morning he would raise them with a songIn the morning he would raise them with a songAnd he wrote his words to the tunes of the dayTo be passed along the union vineAnd the strikes were led and the songs were spreadAnd joe hill was always on the lineYes joe hill was always on the lineNow in salt lake city a murder was madeThere was hardly a clue to findOh, the proof was poor, but the sheriff was sureJoe was the killer of the crimeThat joe was the killer of the crimeJoe raised his hands but they shot him downHe had nothing but guilt to giveIts a doctor I need and they left him to bleedHe made it cause he had the will to liveYes, he made it cause he had the will to liveThen the trial was held in a building of woodAnd there the killer would be namedAnd the days weighed more than the cold copper oreCause he feared that he was being framedCause he found out that he was being framedOh, strange are the ways of western lawStrange are the ways of fateFor the government crawled to the mine owners callThat the judge was appointed by the stateYes, the judge was appointed by the stateOh, utah justice can be hadBut not for a union manAnd joe was warned by summer early mornThat thered be one less singer in the landThered be one less singer in the landNow william spry was governor spryAnd a life was his to holdOn the last appeal, fell a governors tearMay the lord have mercy on your soulMay the lord have mercy on your soulEven president wilson held up the dayBut even he would failFor nobody heard the soul searching wordsOf the soul in the salt lake city jailOf the soul in the salt lake city jailFor 36 years he lived out his daysAnd he more than played his partFor his songs that he made, he was carefully paidWith a rifle bullet buried in his heartWith a rifle bullet buried in his heartYes, they lined joe hill up against the wallBlindfold over his eyesIts the life of a rebel that he chose to liveIts the death of a rebel that he diedIts the death of a rebel that he diedNow some say joe was guilty as chargedAnd some say he wasnt even thereAnd I guess nobody will ever knowcause the court records all disappearedcause the court records all disappearedSay wherever you go in this fair landIn every union hallIn the dusty dark these words are markedIn between all the cracks upon the wallIn between all the cracks upon the wallIts the very last line that joe will wroteWhen he knew that his days were throughBoys, this is my last and final willGood luck to all of youGood luck to all of you/pre>
