"Ani Ma'amin" ( I Believe ) was later sung by many Jews during the Holocaust, even as they entered the gas chambers.
Yiddish Ani Ma'amin Be'emunah Sh'lema Be'viyat Hamashiach. V'af al pi, she'yitma-me-ah, Yim Kol ze Ani Ma'amin. |
English I believe , with a complete belief in the coming of the Messiah. And even though he may tarry, I will await him, each and every day. |
The Yiddish song 'Friling' (Spring) was written by Shmerke Kaczerginski in April 1943, after the death of his wife Barbara in the Vilna ghetto.
Yiddish Version
Ikh blondzhe in geto fun gesl tsu gesl, un ken nisht gefinen keyn ort; nishto iz mayn liber, vi trogt men ariber? mentshn, o zogt khotsh a vort. Es laykht? oyf mayn heym itst, der himl der bloyer, vos zhe hob ikh itst derfun? ikh shtey vi a betler bay yetvidn toyer, un betl, a bisele zun. Friling, nem tsu mayn troyer, Un breng mayn libstn, mayn trayen tsurik. Friling, oyf dayne fligl bloye, O, nem mayn harts mit un gib es op mayn glik. [...] S’iz hay-yor der friling gor fri ongekumen, Tseblit hot zikh benkshaft nokh dir, Ikh ze dikh vi itster balodn mit blumen, A freydiker geytse tsu mir. Di zun hot fargosn dem gortn mit shtraln, Tseshprotst hot di erd zikh in grin. Mayn trayer, mayn libster, vu bistu farfaln? Du geyst nisht aroys fun mayn zin. Friling, nem tsu mayn troyer... |
English Version
I roam through the ghetto from alley to alley, And I cannot find any haven; My beloved is not here, how can I bear it? Oh, people, at least say something. The blue sky illuminates my home But what benefit do I have from it now? I stand like a beggar at each gate, And beg for a little bit of sunshine. Springtime, dispel my sorrow, And bring back my beloved, my adored one to me. Springtime, on your blue wings, Oh, take my heart with you and return joy to it. […] This year springtime came very early, And my longing blossomed for you once again, I see you before me all laden with flowers, Happily you come to me. The sun showered the garden with its rays, The earth has sprouted its green. My adored one, my darling, where have you gone? You are never out of my mind. Springtime, dispel my sorrow… |
The Trains Of No Return
Yiddish
LO'EL ANI AKRO ANENI AVKA BACHOL LAILO ANENI TEN TAL UMOTOR ANENI HO, ANENI LO'EL ANI AKRO ANENI, ANENI, ANENI SHAM ZA'AKU KOLOT ANENU BA'ARU OROT ANENU HU LO YESHAKER KOL HA'OR, KOL HACHOSHE SHE YOFER MIKOL RA'U EICH DIN HA'ELOHIM MOLECH HEM GAM ME VAKSHIM |
English
Yeah, Yeah, we need the rain, Yeah, Yeah, to wash the trains, Endless nights, Tortured days, Trains of no return. Don't let them grow again, Oh, no, not again! Don't let them roll again, The trains of no return! Yeah, Yeah, we need the rain, Yeah, Yeah, to wash the trains, Endless nights, Tortured days, Trains of no return. Don't let them grow again, Oh, no, not again! Don't let them roll again, The trains of no return! Yeah, Yeah, we need the rain... |
Ilsa Koch By: Woody Guthrie
I'm here in Buchenwald. My number's on my skin. Old Ilsa Koch is here. The prisoners walk the grounds. The hounds have killed a girl. The guards have shot a man. Some more have starved to death. Here comes the prisoner's car. They dump them in the pen. They load them down the schute. The trooper cracks their skulls. He steals their teeth of gold. He shoves them on the belt. He swings that furnace door. He slides their corpses in. I see the chimney smoke. I see their ashes hauled. I see their bones in piles. Lamp shades are made from skins. I'm choking on the smoke. The stink is killing me. Old Ilsy Koch was jailed. Old Ilsy Koch went free. I've got to hush my song. Here comes the super man. I'll see you later on. I've got to duck and run. |
Red Sector A
By : Rush All that we can do is just survive All that we can do to help ourselves is stay alive Ragged lines of ragged grey Skeletons, they shuffle away Shouting guards and smoking guns Will cut down the unlucky ones I clutch the wire fence until my fingers bleed A wound that will not heal A heart that cannot feel Hoping that the horror will recede Hoping that tomorrow we'll all be freed Sickness to insanity Prayer to profanity Days and weeks and months go by Don't feel the hunger Too weak to cry I hear the sound of gunfire at the prison gate Are the liberators here? Do I hope or do I fear? For my father and my brother, it's too late But I must help my mother stand up straight Are we the last ones left alive? Are we the only human beings to survive? |