Thousands Are Sailing

A live performance of the Pogues song, written by Philip Chevron, recorded at Music Under the Stars (Deer Path Park, Flemington NJ) on August 11, 2011.

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Patrick Clifford: Guitar
Peter Kane: Fiddle, Mandolin
Randy Decker: Percussion, harmonica
Mark Stewart: Bass

http://blog.patrickclifford.com/2011/08/music-under-the-stars-thousands-are-s...

A studio version of this song appears on Patrick Clifford's album AMERICAN WAKE (http://www.American Wake.com/).

More about:
Patrick Clifford: http://www.PatrickClifford.com
American Wake: http://www.AmericanWake.com
The Pogues: http://www.Pogues.com/
Philip Chevron: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Chevron
"Thousands Are Sailing": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thousands_Are_Sailing
Deer Path Park: http://www.google.com/search?q=deer+path+park+hunterdon

LYRICS

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 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

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

http://www.pogues.com/Releases/Lyrics/LPs/IfIShould/Thousands.html

Category:

Music

Tags:

• pogues
• philip chevron
• irish music
• irish traditional music
• ireland
• irish
• mandolin
• fiddle
• bodhran
• bodhrán
• patrick clifford
• peter kane
• randy decker
• mark stewart
• acoustic
• guitar
• violin
• harmonica
• folk music
• celtic
• traditional
• live music
• cover song
• hunterdon
• new jersey