Emigrant Eyes Lyrics
Dolores KeaneMusic Video
Emigrant Eyes Lyrics
Old Ellis Island was swarming
Like a scene from a costume ball
Decked out in the colors of Europe
And on fire with the hope of it all
There my father′s own father stood huddled
With the tired and the hungry and scared
Turn of the century pilgrims
Bound by the dream that they shared
They were standing in lines just like cattle
Poked and sodded and shoved
Some were one desk away from sweet freedom
Some torn from someone they love
Through this sprawling tower of Babel
Came a young man confused and alone
Determined and bound for America
Carrying everything that he owned
Sometimes when I look in my grandfather's emigrant eyes
I see that day reflected, I can′t hold my feelings inside
I see starting with nothing and working hard all of his life
So don't take it for granted, say grandfather's emigrant eyes
Now he rocks and stares out the window
But his eyes are still just as clear
As the day he sailed through the harbor
Came ashore on the island of tears
My grandfather′s days are numbered
But I won′t let his memory die
He gave me the gift of this country
And the look in his emigrant eyes
Sometimes when I look in my grandfather's emigrant eyes
I see that day reflected, I can′t hold my feelings inside
I see starting with nothing and working hard all of his life
So don't take it for granted, say grandfather's emigrant eyes
So don't take it for granted, say grandfather's emigrant eyes
[Verses omitted by the artist:]
How I gaze with pride at my children
And I marvel how quickly they've grown.
Born and raised in America
It's the only home they've ever known.
They never knew their great grandad
Or that he was determined and wise
But I hope that I've passed on his spirit
And the look in his emigrant eyes.
Song Details
🎶Songwriters: Roger Murrah and Guy Clark — American folk and country artists.
📝Song Brief: The song reflects on the Irish emigrant experience through the tender memories of a grandson looking back on his grandfather’s journey to America. The song honours the men and women who left their homeland with little more than hope, determination, and the dream of a better life. Through vivid imagery of Ellis Island and the Atlantic crossing, it captures the emotional weight of departure, the resilience of those who travelled, and the legacy they passed down through generations.
📖 Glossary:- pilgrims — Travellers undertaking a long journey, often with a sense of purpose, hope, or devotion — used here to describe emigrants moving toward a new life.
- sodded — To be “sodded” in this context means being packed tightly or crowded together, reflecting the crush of people waiting to be processed in an overcrowded immigration facility.
- Babel — A reference to the biblical Tower of Babel — used to describe a place filled with many languages, accents, and cultures all mingling together, often in confusion or noise.
🍀 Genre: Contemporary Folk
👥 Covers: Foster & Allen, Tim Quinn, Seamus Kennedy, Frank McCaffrey, Dermot O'Brien, Pat Ely, Patrick Feeney, Johnny Loughrey, The Ross Sisters.
🎤 Featured Artist: Dolores Keane - one of Ireland’s most distinctive folk voices, known for her rich, soulful singing and her powerful interpretations of traditional and contemporary songs.
💿 Album: Solid Ground
Released: 1993
Country: US
Format: CD, Digital Downloads
Label: Shanachia
