Thousands Are Sailing
The 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 railroad
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


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Lyrics by The Pogues

  5 Green Queens And Jean   A Pair of Brown Eyes   A Pair of Brown Eyes [Live]   A Pair of Brown Eyes [Live][*]   A Pistol For Paddy Garcia   A Pistol for Paddy Garcia [Instrumental]   Amadie   Bastard Landlord   Battle of Brisbane   Battle of Brisbane   Battle of Brisbane [DVD]   Blue Heaven   Boat Train   Boat Train [Demo Recording][#]   Body of an American [*]   Bright Lights   Call My Name   Dark Streets Of London   Dark Streets of London [Demo Recording][#]   Dirty Old Town   Dirty Old Town [DVD]   Dirty Old Town [Live]   Down All The Days   Drunken Boat   Everyman Is A King   Fairytale Of New York   Fairytale of New York [Demo Recording][#]   Fairytale of New York [Demo Recording][#]   Fairytale of New York [Live][*]   Fiesta   Gartloney Rats   Greenland Whale Fisheries   Greenland Whale Fisheries [Demo Recording][#]   Gridlock   Gridlock [Instrumental]   Haunted   Haunted [From Sid and Nancy]   Honky Tonk Woman   Honky Tonk Women   House Of The Gods   How Come   If I Should Fall from Grace with God [BBC Janice L...   If I Should Fall from Grace With God [Stereo]   Japan (Pharoah Sanders cover)   Jesse James   Kitty [Demo Recording][#]   Living In A World Without Her   Living in a World Without Her [Demo Recording][#]   London Girl [*]   Lullaby Of London   Maidrin Rua   Metropolis   Metropolis [Instrumental]   Misty Morning, Albert Bridge   Modern World   Mountain Dew   Night Train To Lorca   NW3   Once Upon A Time   Oretown   Paris   Paris St. Germain   Paris St. Germaine   Planxty Noel Hill   Pont Mirabeau   Poor Paddy   Rain Street   Rainbow Man   Rainy Night in Soho   Rainy night in soho   Rainy Night in Soho [*]   Rake at the Gates of Hell   Repeal of the Licensing Laws   Repeal of the Licensing Laws [*]   Repeal of the Licensing Laws [Demo Recording][#]   Sally Maclennane [BBC John Peel Show]   Sayonara   Sitting On Top Of The World   Sketches of Spain   Smell Of Petroleum   South Australia   South Australia [*]   Star Of The County Down   Streams of Whiskey   Streams of Whiskey [Demo Recording]   Summer In Siam   Sunnyside of the Street   The Auld Triangle   The Bastard Landlord   The Battle March Medley   The Body of an American   The Body of an American   The Broad Majestic Shannon   The Curse of Love   The Ghost Of A Smile   The Irish Rover   The Irish Rover   The Irish Rover [*]   The Old Main Drag   The Old Main Drag [BBC Janice Long Show]   The Parting Glass   The Rake At The Gates Of Hell   The Rocky Road to Dublin   The Sick Bed Of Cuchulainn   The Sickbed of Cuuhulainn   The Sunny Side Of The Street   The Sunnyside Of The Street   The Wake Of The Medusa   The Wake of the Medusa [Demo Recording][#]   The Wild Rover   Tombstone   Tosspint   Train Of Love   Transmetropolitan   Transmetropolitan [Demo Recording][#]   Tuesday Morning   Tuesday Morning (from "Blown Away")   Tuesday Morning [Blown Away]   Tuesday Morning [Live]   Tuesday Morning [Live][*]   Turkish Song Of The Damned   Turkish Song of the Damned [BBC Janice Long Show]   USA   When The Ship Comes In   White City   Wild Cats Of Kilkenny   Wild Cats of Kilkenny [Instrumental]   Worms   Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah   Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah   Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah

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