Joe Hill

So I was standing at the bus stop thinking about how many pop and folk songs are about dreaming, and it occurred to me how little those songs resemble anyone's actual dreams. You almost never hear a pop or folk song along the lines of, "I dreamed I was making spaghetti for my ex-boyfriend, but the spaghetti was coming to life and kept trying to crawl out of the pot." They're much more straightforward than real dreams: "I dreamed that the girl I had a crush on was dating me," "I dreamed that my ex and I were back together," "I dreamed that a dead labor leader was giving me inspirational advice about life."

Okay -- that last one is pretty surreal, now that I think about it.

Anyway, I was thinking about what a folk song would be like if it were about actual dreams. Hence the following.

Joe Hill
by Greta Christina

I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night
In my old high school hall
He asked about my big math test
And bounced a bright red ball
And bounced a bright red ball.

"I spaced out on my math test, Joe
I'm going to fail," said I.
Then we were in my living room
And Joe began to fly
And Joe began to fly.

I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night
He looked just like my dad
I offered him a hard-boiled egg
But Joe just looked real sad
But Joe just looked real sad.

Copyright 2004 Greta Christina.