I was driving down Ninth Avenue
As the sky was getting dark
Didn't have nothin' else to do
So I kept on riding to Battery Park
I stepped out in the damp and misty night
As the fog was rolling in
Man said, “Last boat leaving tonight
Is the boat for Ellis Island”
As my feet touch solid ground
I felt a chill run down my spine
I could almost hear the sound
Of thousands pushing through the lines
Mothers and bewildered wives
That sailed across the raging sea
Others running for their lives
To the land of opportunity
Down on Ellis Island
“What is this strange paradise?”
They must've wondered through their cries and moans
After all they've sacrificed
Their faith, their families, friends and homes
Then on the separation stairs
They were counted out or counted in
Frozen while the inspectors stared
Down on Ellis Island
Down on Ellis Island
Me, I only stumbled in
Just to wander around that empty hall
Where someone else’s fate had been
Decided in no time at all
And cases filled with hats and clothes
And the belongings of those who journeyed far
Their strange reminders, I suppose
Of where we’re from and who we are
But as the boat pulled off the shore
I could see the fog was lifting
And lights I'd never seen before
Were shining down on Ellis Island
Shining down on Ellis Island