A large art of this song seems to be that people keep "living" after their "deaths."
"Yeah, but when they laid him out in that box of pine, boy
They laid that hammer by his side, Lord, Lord
Laid that hammer by his side"
This suggests that he would be using his hammer well into the afterlife (slightly reminiscent of ancient Egyptian burial rights for Pharaohs), or that he will be swinging his hammer forever in songs.
"Yeah and they killed Joe Hill, put a bullet to his name
But that bullet made a martyr of the slain, Lord, Lord
Bullet made a martyr of the slain"
Joel Emmanuel Hagglund, aka Joseph Hillstrom, aka Joe Hill (namesake of Joseph Hillstrom "Joe Hill" King), was a labor activist falsely executed for murder (most ironic) in 1915, whose name lives on as a folk hero in songs, poems, and at least one movie.
"And he died in Tennessee but he couldn't find no rest
With that long road to Texas lie ahead, Lord, Lord
That long road to Texas lie ahead"
Even though his grandaddy died, he's not resting but still trying to get to Texas
"Yessir, I ain't no great man, and Lord I expect
To see a long life workin' in your debt, Lord, Lord
A long life workin' in your debt"
He's admitting he's not perfect and that when he's dead, God's going to keep him in Purgatory for quite a long time
All in all, a person never truly dies, they always keep doing something, even if only the collective memory of their lives. John Henry will always be in songs, swinging his hammer to defeat the machine; Joe Hill will always be a martyr, falsely accused of murdering a wealthy storeowner so that somebody else could get away with it; the narrator will always be trying to get to Texas for a better life where he can keep the rewards for his work; te narrator will always be in Purgatory making up for his actions in life
Again, how has almost NOBODY commented on ANY of Justin's songs? They're brilliant!
(Feeling, impression: Country/folk version of Dave Matthew's "Gravedigger")
A large art of this song seems to be that people keep "living" after their "deaths."
"Yeah, but when they laid him out in that box of pine, boy They laid that hammer by his side, Lord, Lord Laid that hammer by his side"
This suggests that he would be using his hammer well into the afterlife (slightly reminiscent of ancient Egyptian burial rights for Pharaohs), or that he will be swinging his hammer forever in songs.
"Yeah and they killed Joe Hill, put a bullet to his name But that bullet made a martyr of the slain, Lord, Lord Bullet made a martyr of the slain"
Joel Emmanuel Hagglund, aka Joseph Hillstrom, aka Joe Hill (namesake of Joseph Hillstrom "Joe Hill" King), was a labor activist falsely executed for murder (most ironic) in 1915, whose name lives on as a folk hero in songs, poems, and at least one movie.
"And he died in Tennessee but he couldn't find no rest With that long road to Texas lie ahead, Lord, Lord That long road to Texas lie ahead"
Even though his grandaddy died, he's not resting but still trying to get to Texas
"Yessir, I ain't no great man, and Lord I expect To see a long life workin' in your debt, Lord, Lord A long life workin' in your debt"
He's admitting he's not perfect and that when he's dead, God's going to keep him in Purgatory for quite a long time
All in all, a person never truly dies, they always keep doing something, even if only the collective memory of their lives. John Henry will always be in songs, swinging his hammer to defeat the machine; Joe Hill will always be a martyr, falsely accused of murdering a wealthy storeowner so that somebody else could get away with it; the narrator will always be trying to get to Texas for a better life where he can keep the rewards for his work; te narrator will always be in Purgatory making up for his actions in life
Again, how has almost NOBODY commented on ANY of Justin's songs? They're brilliant!
(Feeling, impression: Country/folk version of Dave Matthew's "Gravedigger")