The Golden Door

[Intro Bulgarian female chant over distant waves] Far from home Names in the wind One life behind us One life ahead [Verse 1 Southern European voice over violin and deep bass] Village got smaller while the hunger grew Land could not feed every family it knew Italy crowded with no jobs in sight Packed one case then we left in the night Miles to the port with our home on our backs Twelve days below where the sunlight was black Steerage was crowded the air felt thin Still we held hope that they might let us in New York Harbor then the whole ship stared Lady with a lamp standing tall through the air Ellis asked questions took names at the door I came with little but I dreamed about more [Chorus Female chant with soulful group vocals] Give me your tired your poor Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free I lift my lamp beside the golden door Bring every language Bring every dream Carry your story Across every sea Give me your tired your poor I lift my lamp beside the golden door [Verse 2 Eastern European Jewish voice with urgent flow] Russia and Poland made laws against mine More than two million left fear behind Faith in our hearts and a few things packed No easy road and no promise back Crossed that ocean for work and a start Family photographs close to the heart Did not know English knew nobody there Still had a future worth trying to share Found a small room on the Lower East Side Synagogue near us our neighbors nearby Kept our traditions our prayers and our names New land around us but roots still remained [Chorus Female chant with soulful group vocals] Give me your tired your poor Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free I lift my lamp beside the golden door Bring every language Bring every dream Carry your story Across every sea Give me your tired your poor I lift my lamp beside the golden door [Verse 3 Chinese and Asian voices trading lines] Weeks on the water from China we came Japan to the coast with a hope just the same California rising beyond San Francisco Bay Angel Island questions stood in the way Names got recorded our health got checked No one could tell what might happen next Some had relations some stood alone Trying to build what could feel like a home Cargo to carry and ditches to dig Unskilled work made the city grow big Stores and newspapers clubs down the street Old ways and new ways continued to meet They called us strangers by language and face Still we brought courage and culture and faith America changed with each family shore We helped build the nation beyond the gold door [Chorus Female chant with soulful group vocals] Give me your tired your poor Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free I lift my lamp beside the golden door Bring every language Bring every dream Carry your story Across every sea Give me your tired your poor I lift my lamp beside the golden door [Bridge Second generation voice over stripped violin] Parents spoke words from the world left behind Children learned English one day at a time Home held the customs the holidays stayed School brought a culture that pulled us away Preserve or assimilate both could be true Hold where we came from while building the new Ethnic enclaves gave community ground Churches, synagogues, newspapers around Every new accent had something to give Every new family was learning to live Not just a number arriving on shore Every one human who walked through the door [Final Chorus Full choir and heavy beat drop] Give me your tired your poor Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free I lift my lamp beside the golden door Bring every language Bring every dream Carry your story Across every sea Give me your tired your poor Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free I lift my lamp beside the golden door One nation changing One light on the shore Millions of stories Behind the golden door [Outro Violin and Bulgarian chant fade together] One life behind us One life ahead Home in our memory Hope in our step I lift my lamp Beside the golden door