Joe Hill

A song is learned by heart and repeated over and over

Hi all,

Thank you for joining me for today’s song, “Joe Hill”, by Alfred Hays and Earl Robinson. If you’d like to hear the song before you read, I’ve included a YouTube video below. In the article, you’ll find my interpretation of the lyrics (written in italics). Comments and questions are welcome. For Japanese students, vocabulary words in bold are provided in Japanese below. TOEFL (PBT) 450+, Eiken 2, CEFR B1. 

Joe Hill.jpg Photograph of a painting (Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

Joe Hill, union organizer, poet, songwriter

(476 words)

May 1^st is generally known as “May Day”, “International Workers’ Day”, or in some places, “Labour Day”. It is a day to honor workers and their struggles. Nowadays, many countries celebrate May Day with picnics, parties, and demonstrations in support of workers.

Today we are looking at a well-known song about a labor leader whose name was Joe Hill. He was very important because he worked hard to help workers. In the early 1900s, many people worked in factories and mines, but they weren’t always treated fairly. They had to work long hours for little pay, and sometimes the bosses didn't care about their safety. Workers could also be fired for no reason.

Joe Hill believed that workers deserved better treatment. He joined a union called the Industrial Workers of the World. They were known as The Wobblies. Joe Hill didn't just talk about making better conditions, though. He wrote songs and poems to inspire other workers to stand up for their rights.

A famous quote from Joe Hill says:

A pamphlet is never read more than once, but a song is learned by heart and repeated over and over.

The song, Joe Hill, was originally a poem. It was written by Alfred Hays. In 1936, Earl Robinson added the music.

I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night

Alive as you or me

Says I, "But Joe, you're ten years dead," (You’ve been dead for 10 years)

“I never died," says he

"I never died," says he

Some powerful people didn't like what Joe Hill was doing. In the end, he was framed (accused of a crime he didn't commit) and was executed in Salt Lake City, Utah. Even though he died, his songs and his message lived on. People still remember Joe Hill today as a hero for workers' rights.

"In Salt Lake, Joe," says I to him, him standing by my bed

"They framed you on a murder charge"

Says Joe, "But I ain't dead"

Says Joe, "But I ain't dead"

"The copper bosses killed you, Joe, they shot you, Joe," says I

"Takes more than guns to kill a man"

Says Joe, "I didn't die"

Says Joe, "I didn't die"

In reality, Joe wasn’t shot by managers of the copper mine. The song is saying that what Joe represented - justice and workers’ rights - is an idea that can’t be killed.

And standing there as big as life and smiling with his eyes

Says Joe, "What they can never kill

Went on to organize,

Went on to organize"

When Joe Hill was cremated, his ashes were put into hundreds of envelopes and scattered in many places in the U.S. and countries all over the world.

From San Diego up to Maine, in every mine and mill

Where workers strike and organize

It's there you'll find Joe Hill

It's there you'll find Joe Hill

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Did you know that Labor Day was also celebrated in Japan?

The 1st Labor Day (May Day) in Japan, May 2, 1920. Unknown author. (Wikimedia Commons. Public domain)

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Question:

Do you think a song is more powerful than a pamphlet?

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Vocabulary

struggle 闘争

deserve 値する

cremate 火葬

be executed 処刑される

be framed 冤罪を与える

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The song in the video is sung by Paul Robeson. You can read more about him here.

Bruce Springsteen version:

Joan Baez version:

Sources

Buhle, P., & Schulman, N. (2005). Wobblies!: A graphic history of the Industrial Workers of the World. Verso.

Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. (2024, March 13). Joe Hill. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Joe-Hill. Accessed 21 April 2024.

Here’s a good video that gives background information about Joe Hill’s life (and the song “Pie in the Sky”):