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