Isle of Tears (Ellis Island)

Isle of Tears (Ellis Island)

Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears. Author: Brendan Graham. Brendan Graham (born 1945)^[1] is an Irish songwriter and novelist. Among songs he has written or co-written are "Rock 'n' Roll Kids" (1994) and "The Voice" (1996), both of which won the Eurovision Song Contest for Ireland in their respective years, and "You Raise Me Up"(lyrics) (2002), which was an international hit as covered by various artists.

Annie Moore (immigrant)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Anna "Annie" Moore
Contemporary illustration of Annie Moore
Born	April 24, 1874 Ireland
Died	December 6, 1924 (aged 50)

Anna "Annie" Moore (April 24, 1874 - December 6, 1924[1][2]) was an Irish emigrant to the United States in 1892. She was the first immigrant to the United States to pass through federal immigrant inspection at the Ellis Island station in New York Harbor.
Annie Moore's story is told in the song "Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears", written by Brendan Graham.[6] The song has been performed by Tynan and by The Irish Tenors, of which Tynan was formerly a member. Other artists performing the song include Sean Keane, Sean & Dolores Keane, Daniel O'Donnell, Celtic Thunder, Irish tenor Brian Dunphy, Celtic Woman[7] and Tommy Fleming.

Isle of Hope, Isle of Tears ~ Hayley Griffiths






Isle of Hope, Isle of tears - The Whistlin' Donkeys - The Forge Sessions 27,238 views



Ultimate Guitar Chords

Isle of hope, isle of tears   
(orig. = capo 2nd) 


C - Em - Am - D - G



G           D         C              G

1.  On the first day of January, eighteen ninety-two,

C           G               Am              D

they opened Ellis Island and they let the people through.
G                  D                C               G

And the first to cross the threshold of that isle of hope and tears,

C               G               Am             D    -D7            

was Annie Moore from Ireland who was all of fifteen years.



C            D              G       D       Em

Isle of hope, isle of tears, isle of freedom, isle of fears,

C              Am      D

but it's not the isle you left behind.

C              D                 G    D   Em

That isle of hunger, isle of pain, isle you'll never see again,

C               D             G

but the isle of home is always on your mind.



G              D               C            G

2. In a little bag she carried all her past and history,

C             G           Am           D

and her dreams for the future in the land of liberty.

G            D                C               G

And courage is the passport when your old world disappears,

C              G                      Am               D

but there's no future in the past, when you're all of fifteen years,



+  CHORUS  



+  C - Em - Am - D - G



G                 D         C              G

3. When they closed down Ellis Island in nineteen forty-three,

C                 G            Am               D

seventeen million people had come there for sanctuary.

G               D              C               G

And in Springtime when I came here and I stepped onto its piers,

C               G                        Am           D   - D7

I thought of how it must have hurt when you're only fifteen years.







C             D              G      D      Em

Isle of hope, isle of tears, isle of freedom, isle of fears,

C              Am      D

but it's not the isle you left behind.

C              D                G     D     Em

That isle of hunger, isle of pain, isle you'll never see again,

C              D             G

but the isle of home is always on your mind.





(orig. moves up half a note to capo 3rd here)





+ repeat CHORUS



C               D            - C         - Em - Am - D - G

+  Yes, the isle of home is always on your        mind.