Commentary

Lyrics :
They said the building was fireproof
So on the eighth and ninth floors
Where Immigrant Girls sewed garments
They locked the exit doors
When the fire broke out that day
There was nowhere else to go
They could stay behind and die in flames
Or jump to their deaths below

So say a prayer for the Immigrant Girls
Who died on that long ago day
Never forget the reason they died
And always remember their names

The fire engines came quickly
As a crowd gathered in horror
But the ladders couldn’t reach
Beyond the sixth floor
The girls screaming from the windows
Had only seconds left to decide
What their final thoughts would be
And which way that they would die

So say a prayer for the Immigrant Girls
Who died on that long ago day
Never forget the reason they died
And always remember their names

A memorial procession
Marched through a pouring rain
Mourners lined the New York streets
Four hundred thousand came
Now once a year the church bells ring
And for a moment heads are bowed
In memory of the Immigrant Girls
Each name is read aloud

So say a prayer for the Immigrant Girls
Who died on that long ago day
Never forget the reason they died
And always remember their names