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Crossing Brooklyn Ferry Lyrics by Virgil Thomson

1961

Flood-tide below me! I see you face to face!
Clouds of the west — sun there half an hour high — I see you also face to face
Crowds of men and women attired in the usual costumes, how curious you are to me!
On the ferry-boats the hundreds and hundreds that cross, returning home, are more curious to me than you suppose
And you that shall cross from shore to shore years hence are more to me, and more in my meditations, than you might suppose
I am with you, you men and women of a generation, or ever so many generations hence
Just as you feel when you look on the river and sky, so I felt
Just as any of you is one of a living crowd, I was one of a crowd
Just as you are refresh’d by the gladness of the river and the bright flow, I was refresh’d
Just as you stand and lean on the rail, yet hurry with the swift current, I stood yet was hurried
Just as you look on the numberless masts of ships and the thick-stemm’d pipes of steamboats, I look’d
I too many and many a time cross’d the river of old
Look’d toward the lower bay to notice the vessels arriving
Saw their approach, saw aboard those that were near me
Saw the white sails of schooners and sloops, saw the ships at anchor
The sailors at work in the rigging or out astride the spars
The round masts, the swinging motion of the hulls, the slender serpentine pennants
The large and small steamers in motion, the pilots in their pilot-houses
The white wake left by the passage, the quick tremulous whirl of the wheels
Flow on, river! flow with the flood-tide, and ebb with the ebb-tide!
Frolic on, crested and scallop-edg’d waves!
Gorgeous clouds of the sunset! drench with your splendor me, or the men and women generations after me!
Cross from shore to shore, countless crowds of passengers!
Stand up, tall masts of Mannahatta! stand up, beautiful hills of Brooklyn!
Come on, ships from the lower bay! pass up or down, white-sail’d schooners, sloops, lighters!
Flaunt away, flags of all nations! be duly lower’d at sunset!
Burn high your fires, foundry chimneys! cast black shadows at nightfall! cast red and yellow light over the tops of the houses!
Thrive, cities — bring your freight, bring your shows, ample and sufficient rivers
You dumb, beautiful ministers, we receive you, we use you
We fathom you not — we love you — there is perfection in you also
Credits
Virgil Thomson

Virgil Thomson

About “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” by Virgil Thomson

Read the complete lyrics to "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" by Virgil Thomson in 1961. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Pop.

"Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" is performed by Virgil Thomson. in 1961 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry", explore more songs by Virgil Thomson using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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"Crossing Brooklyn Ferry" is credited to Virgil Thomson. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

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