Joe Hill

Phil Ochs

Originale	La versione italiana di Alessio Lega e i Malfattori
JOE HILL	JOE HILL
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, Joe Hill As Joe come a sailing through.	Il giorno che Joe Hill sbarcò dalla Svezia natia la libertà lo salutò ma era una statua sulla via (Joe Hill), solo statua per la via.
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	Vestito di catrame e di stracci in cerca della gloria sulla via dei poveracci incominciò a capir la storia fu già chiara la sua storia.
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	Lo straccio passava su ogni bancone di saloon il lavoro che era il suo lo sospingeva un po' più in giù lo rigettava ancor più in giù.
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	E di bancone in bancone al porto o in ferrovia sempre la stessa condizione tutto va bene e così sia qui tutto bene andiamo via.
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	Volava il sole oltre la notte un'ombra sopra i sassi e questa strada è tanto stretta passano gli anni sopra i passi corrono gli anni sopra i passi.
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	La California e i suoi frutteti le botte ed il salario in compagnia degli sfruttati nel sindacato libertario nel sindacato libertario.
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	Gli scioperi, gli stagionali le veglie ed i picchetti picchiati come gli animali e Joe in trincea tra quei negletti primo fra gli ultimi negletti.
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	Per ogni giorno scioperato fra il torto e la prigione per riscattare ogni sfruttato lui dava in cambio una canzone lui scrisse una nuova canzone.
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	Un giorno un tizio fu ammazzato a Salt Lake City, Utah decisi contro il sindacato volsero i passi della muta la legge e i cani della muta.
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	E Joe fu preso senza prove ferito e imprigionato tu fammi vivere dottore per riscattare il sindacato per riscattare il sindacato.
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	Improvvisarono un processo per farne un criminale per un delitto non commesso che la condanna sia esemplare che la condanna sia esemplare.
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	Nelle regioni minerarie la legge sta al volere delle ragioni proprietarie e dei padroni di miniere e dei padroni di miniere.
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	Così giustizia si farà lo Utah stia sereno in questo Stato canterà certo un sindacalista in meno proprio un sindacalista in meno.
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	Ed il governatore Spry sbadiglia per la noia «Signore tu lo perdonerai ma quanto a me lo affido al boia ma in quanto a me ti affido al boia.»
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	Benché il presidente stesso fosse un innocentista disse «Io spero, ma non posso togliere Joe da quella lista togliere Joe da quella lista.»
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	I trentasei anni di Joe finirono al plotone per chi sapeva dir di no e non piegò la sua ragione e mai piegò la sua ragione.
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	Bendato come la giustizia con gli atti del processo perché per colmo di furbizia sono spariti il giorno appresso li hanno bruciati il giorno appresso.
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	Per un governatore imbelle in un processo farsa dopo i suoi anni da ribelle come un bandito a fine corsa era un bandito a fine corsa.
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	Dovunque andiate per la vita dovunque stia il futuro portate quella sua ferita come una crepa sopra il muro come una crepa sopra il muro.
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"	L'ultimo verso di Joe Hill col sangue fu tracciato «Buona fortuna a tutti voi e lunga vita al sindacato.»