[G]The island it is silent now
But the[C] ghosts still haunt the waves
And the[G] torch lights up a[Em] famished
man
Who[Am] fortune could not[D] save
Did you[G] work upon the railroad
Did you[C] rid the streets of crime
Were
your[G] dollars from the[Em] white house
Were they[D] from the five and[G] dime
Did the[Em] old songs taunt or
cheer you
And did[C] they still make you[G] cry
Did you[Em] count the months and years
Or did your[Am] teardrops
quickly[D] dry
Ah,[G] No, says he 'twas not to be
On a[C] coffin ship I came here
And I[G] never even[Em] got so
far
ThatC] they could change my[G] mind
Chorus:
[Em]Thousands are still sailing
AD]cross the Western[Am]
Ocean
To a[Em] land of opportunity
That[D] some of them will [Am]never see
[Em]Fortune prevailing
A[D]cross the
Western[Am] Ocean
Their[Em] bellies full
And their spirits free
They'll[D] break the chains of[Am] poverty
And they'll[C]
dance
Verse 2
In Manhattan's desert twilight
In the death of afternoon
We stepped hand
in hand on Broadway
Like the first man on the moon
And "The Blackbird" broke the silence
As you whistled it so sweet
And
in Brendan Behan's footsteps
I danced up and down the street
Then we said goodnight to Broadway
Giving it our
best regards
Tipped our hats to Mister Cohan
Dear old Times Square's favourite bard
Then we raised a glass to J.F.K.
And
a dozen more besides
When I got back to my empty room
I suppose I must have cried
Chorus 2
Thousands are
sailing
Again across the ocean
Where the hand of opportunity
Draws tickets in a lottery
Postcards we're mailing
Of
sky-blue skies and oceans
From rooms the daylight never sees
Where lights don't glow on Christmas trees
But we dance
to the music And we dance
Chorus 3
Thousands are sailing
Across the Western Ocean
Where the hand of opportunity
Draws
tickets in a lottery
Where e'er we go, we celebrate
The land that makes us refugees
From fear of Priests with empty
plates
From guilt and weeping effigies
And we dance
