Thousands Are Sailing

[Verse]
C
The island it is silent now
        F  
But the ghosts still

haunt the waves
        C            
  And the torch lights
      Am
up a famished man
    Dm                G
Who fortune could not save
        C
Did you work upon the railroad
        F
Did you rid the streets of crime
          C       
  Were your dollars
           Am
from the white house
     G                      C
Were they from the five and dime
        Am  
Did the old songs

taunt or cheer you
           F                    C
And did they still make you cry
        Am
Did you count the months and years
                Dm               G
Or did your teardrops quickly dry
    C
Ah, No, says he 'twas not to be
     F
On a coffin ship I came here
      C          Am
And I never even got so far
     G                        C
That they could change my name


[Chorus]
Am
Thousands are sailing
G                  Dm
Across the Western Ocean
     Am
To a land of opportunity
     G                 Dm
That some of them will never see
Am
Fortune prevailing
G                  Dm
Across the Western Ocean
      Am
Their bellies full

And their spirits free
        G         
  They'll break the
           Dm
chains of poverty
            F
And they'll dance

Instrumental: Am G Dm C


[Verse]
C
In Manhattan's desert twilight
       F
In the death of afternoon
           C    
  We stepped hand
            Am
in hand on Broadway
               Dm          G
Like the first man on the moon
G        C  
And "The Blackbird"

broke the silence
       F
As you whistled it so sweet
       C               Am
And in Brendan Behan's footsteps
            G            C
I danced up and down the street
        Am
Then we said goodnight to Broadway
       F           C
Giving it our best regards
           Am
Tipped our hats to Mister Cohan
         Dm             
  Dear old Times Square's
           G
favourite bard
G       C
Then we raised a glass to J.F.K.
      F
And a dozen more besides
       C              Am
When I got back to my empty room
   G                  C
I suppose I must have cried


[Chorus]
Am
Thousands are sailing
G                  Dm
Again across the ocean
          Am
Where the hand of opportunity
      G            Dm
Draws tickets in a lottery
Am
Postcards we're mailing
   G                  Dm
Of sky-blue skies and oceans
     Am
From rooms the daylight never sees
      G            
  Where lights don't
         Dm
glow on Christmas trees
       F  
But we dance to the

music and we dance

Instrumental 2:
Am G D F Am G D
Am  C  G  D  Am  C  G  D
Am  Dm  Am  F  C  G  C  G  C


[Chorus]
Am
Thousands are sailing
G                  Dm
Again across the ocean
          Am
Where the hand of opportunity
      G            Dm
Draws tickets in a lottery
Am
Where e'er we go, we celebrate
   G                  Dm
The land that makes us refugees
     Am  
From fear of Priests

with empty plates
      G                    Dm
From guilt and weeping effigies
       F  
And we dance to the

music and we dance

Am G D F Am G D
Am  Am  C  G  D  Am  C  G  D
Am  Dm  Am  F  C  G  C  G  C