Afternoon Matinee: Protest - Joe Hill

Performed by Phil Ochs

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

As Joe come a sailing through.

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

And Joe got hired by a bowery bar

Sweeping up the saloon

As his rag would sail over the baroom rail

Sounded like he whistled on a tune

You could almost hear him whistling on a tune

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

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

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

Now the strikes were bloody and the strikes were black

As hard as they were long

In the dark of 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

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

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

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

He made it 'cause he had the will to live

Yes, he made it 'cause he had the will to live

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

Oh, strange are the ways of western law

Strange are the ways of fate

For the government crawled to the mine owner's call

That the judge was appointed by the state

Yes, the judge was appointed by the state

Oh, Utah justice can be had

But not for a union man

And Joe was warned by summer early morn

That there'd be one less singer in the land

There'd be one less singer in the land

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 your soul

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

For 36 years he lived out his days

And he more than played his part

For his songs that he made, he was carefully paid

With a rifle bullet buried in his heart

With a rifle bullet buried in his heart

Yes, they lined Joe Hill up against the wall

Blindfold over his eyes

It's the life of a rebel that he chose to live

It's the death of a rebel that he died

It's the death of a rebel that he died

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

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

It's the very last line that Joe Will 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"

~ from Lyric Wiki ~