Philip David Ochs (El Paso, Texas, 19 de diciembre de 1940 - 9 de abril de 1976), fue un cantante estadounidense de música folk, emblema de los años setenta, famoso por su estilo irónico y su voz rasgada. Fue uno de los compositores más influyentes de la generación "hippie", sus letras en oposición a la Guerra de Vietnam y sus constantes críticas a los organismos del estado norteamericano. Entre sus obras más reconocidas se encuentra el himno pacifista "I ain´t marchin anymore", que denuncia lo irracional de la Guerra de Vietnam.
¡Cuatro años de duro trabajo!Este mes de mayo cumplimos cuatro años al aire. Seguimos trabajando en la difusión de este maravilloso instrumento, ¡gracias por participar en nuestra historia!
This song uses the same tunes as Woody Guthrie's "Tom Joad"
Standard tuning, capo 2nd fret
F Fsus F C (open D string/then back on 2nd fret) Joe Hill come over from Sweden shores FFsusFC Looking for some work to do FCAm And the Statue of Liberty waved him by C (Open D string/place finger on G st. 2nd fret/return) As Joe come a sailing through, Joe Hill CG7C 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"