Thousands Are Sailing Lyrics - If I Should Fall From Grace With God - Pogues

The island it is silent now 

But the ghosts still haunt the waves 

And the torch lights up a famished man 

Who fortune could not save 

Did you work upon the railroads? 

Did you rid the streets of crime? 

Were your dollars from the white house? 

Were they from the five and dime? 

Did the old songs taunt or cheer you 

And did they still make you cry? 

Did you count the months and years 

Or did your teardrops quickly dry? 

"Ah, no", says he, "'twas not to be 

On a coffin ship I came here 

And I never even got so far 

That they could change my name" 

Thousands are sailing 

Across the western ocean to a land of opportunity 

That some of them will never see 

Fortune prevailing across the western ocean 

Their bellies full, their spirits free 

They'll break the chains of poverty and they'll dance 

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 favorite bard 

Then we raised a glass to JFK 

And a dozen more besides 

When I got back to my empty room 

I suppose I must have cried 

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 

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