Joe Hill chords by Phil Ochs
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Verse 1
(C major) (G major) (F major) (C major) Joe (F major) Hill come over
from Sweden (C major) shores
(F major) Looking for some work to (C major) do
And the Statue (F major) of Liberty (C major) waved him by (A minor)
As (C major) Joe come a sailing through, Joe Hill
As Joe come a sailing (G major) (C major) through.
Oh his (F major) clothes were coarse
and his hopes (C major) were high
As he (F major) headed for the promised (C major) land
And it (F major) took a few weeks on
(C major) the out-of-work streets
streets
streets (A minor)
(C major) Before he began to understand
Before he (G major) began to under (C major) stand
And (F major) Joe got hired by a (C major) bowery bar
sweeping (F major) up the sa (C major) loon
As his (F major) rag would sail over
the (C major) barroom rail (A minor)
Soun (C major) ded like he whistled on a tune
You could almost hear him
(G major) whistling on a (C major) tune
And (F major) Joe rolled on from (C major) job to job
From the (F major) docks to the railroad (C major) line
And no (F major) matter how hungry
the (C major) hand that wro (A minor) te
In his (C major) letters he was always doing fine
In his letters he was (G major) al ways doing (C major) fine
Oh, the (F major) years went by like
the sun (C major) goin' down
slowly (F major) turn the (C major) page
And when (F major) Joe looked back at
the sweat (C major) upon his tracks
(A minor) He had (C major) nothing to show but his age
He had nothing to show (G major) but his age (C major)
So he (F major) headed out for the
(C major) California shore
(F major) There things were just as (C major) bad
So he (F major) joined the Industrial Work (C major)
ers of the (A minor) World
'Cause, The (C major) union was the
(G major) only friend he (C major) had
'Cause, The union was the
(G major) only friend he (C major) had
Now the strikes (F major) were bloody
and the strikes (C major) were black
as (F major) hard as they were (C major) long
In the (F major) dark of night Joe
would stay (C major) awake and (A minor) write
In the morn (C major) ing he would raise
them with a song
In the morning he would
raise (G major) them with a song (C major)
And he (F major) wrote his words to
the tunes (C major) of the day
To be passed (F major) along the union (C major) vine
And the strikes (F major) were led and
the songs (C major) (A minor) were spread
And (C major) Joe Hill was always on the line
Yes Joe Hill was (G major) always on the
(C major) line (F major) (C major) (F major)
(C major) (F major) (C major)
Now in (F major) Salt Lake City a
(C major) murder was made
There was (F major) hardly a clue to (C major) find
Oh, the (F major) proof was poor,
but the sheriff (C major) was sure (A minor)
(C major) Joe was the killer of the crime
That Joe was the (G major) killer of the (C major) crime
Joe (F major) raised his hands but
they shot (C major) him down
he had (F major) nothing but guilt to give (C major)
It's a (F major) doctor I need and
they left (C major) him to bleed (A minor)
(C major) He made it 'cause he had the will to live
Yes, He made it 'cause he
(G major) had the will to (C major) live
Then the (F major) trial was held in
a (C major) building of wood
And (F major) there the killer would be (C major) named
And the (F major) days weighed more
than the (C major) cold copper ore
Cause he feared that he was
being framed (A minor)
Cause he found (C major) out that
(G major) he was being (C major) framed
Oh, strange (F major) are the ways
of (C major) western law
Strange (F major) are the ways of (C major) fate
For the (F major) government crawled to
the (C major) mine owner's (A minor) call
That the judge (C major) was appointed
by the state (A minor)
(C major) Yes, The judge was (G major) ap
pointed by the (C major) state
Oh, (F major) Utah justice (C major) can be had
But (F major) not for a union (C major) man
And (F major) Joe was warned by
sum (C major) mer early morn
(A minor) That there'd be (C major) one less
singer (G major) in the (C major) land
There'd be one less singer (G major) in the (C major) land
Now (F major) William Spry was (C major) Governor Spry
And a (F major) life was his to hold (C major)
On the (F major) last appeal,
fell a (C major) governor's tear (A minor)
(C major) May the lord have mercy on your soul
May the lord have mer (G major) cy on your soul (C major)
Even (F major) President Wilson held (C major) up the day
But (F major) even he would (C major) fail
For (F major) nobody heard the soul
(C major) search (A minor) ing words
(C major) Of the soul in the Salt Lake (G major) City jail (C major)
Of the soul in the Salt (G major) Lake City (C major) jail
For (F major) 36 years he lived (C major) out his days
And he (F major) more than played his (C major) part
For his (F major) songs that he made,
he was (C major) carefully paid (A minor)
With a rifle (C major) bullet buried in his heart
With a rifle bullet (G major) buried in his (C major) heart
Yes, they (F major) lined Joe Hill up
(C major) against the wall
(F major) Blindfold over his (C major) eyes
It's the (F major) life of a rebel that
he chose (C major) to (A minor) live
It's the (C major) death of a rebel that he died
It's the death of a (G major) rebel that he died (C major)
Now some (F major) say Joe was
(C major) guilty as charged
And some (F major) say he wasn't even (C major) there
And I (F major) guess nobody will (C major) ever know (A minor)
'Cause the (C major) court records
all disappeared
'Cause the court records
all (G major) disappeared (C major)
Say wherever (F major) you go in (C major) this fair land
In (F major) every union (C major) hall
In the (F major) dusty dark these (C major) words are marked (A minor)
In between (C major) all the cracks upon the wall
In between all the (G major) cracks upon the (C major) wall
It's the (F major) very last line that (C major) Joe Will wrote
When he (F major) knew that his days
were through (C major)
"Boys, (F major) this is my last and (C major) final will (A minor)
Good luck (C major) to all of you
Good luck to (G major) all of (C major) you"
Joe Hill
Phil Ochs
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