Grandma sailed the Irish coast When she was barely thirteen She was young enough To believe in her dreams And working at a sweatshop Down on Bleeker Street Staring out the window She could see Miss Liberty The price didn't seem too steep
Chorus: She believed in a nation She believed in love She believed in loyalty And she put her fate in the hands of God I believed in a nation That's got more than land and water I hope I have the simple faith The silent strength Of the immigrant's daughter
She could not be halted By famine or disease She married America And she scrubbed it on her knees Fiercely devoted To who was yet to be She gladly gave her reverence To the high authority The price didn't seem too steep
Chorus
I look at the photographs On my naked wall The gallery of legacy Has such a haunting call And falling down on my knees The calling comes to me I'm gonna run to the land of the living And take everyone that I can with me
Chorus
I believe in a nation I believe in love I believe in loyalty And I put my fate in the hands of God I believe in a nation That's got more than land and water I hope I have the simple faith The silent strength Of the Immigrant's daughter I hope I have that simple faith