Abie Rotenberg
Note: Bm in the chorus isn’t on the original, but it may sound better that way. If you have any trouble playing or singing this song, please contact us here. Capo 3+ D G I met a man last Sunday C Who was on his way back home D G From a wedding in Chicago, Bm and was traveling alone C He said he came from Vilna, G a survivor I could tell Am And I helped him with his suitcase D He could not walk very well D G A steward gave us coffee C as we settled on the plane D G And I asked him why he bothers Bm at his age there'd be no blame C He said “No simcha is a burden, G although I miss my dear late wife" Am And then he shared with me a story D that has changed my view of life Chorus Em We danced round and round in circles Am Bm as if the world had done no wrong Em From evening until morning, Am D filling up the shul with song Em Though we had no sifrei torah Am Bm to clutch close to our hearts Em In their place, we held the future D C of a past so torn apart D G I remember liberation, C joy and fear both intertwined D G Where to go, and what to do, Bm and how to leave the pain behind C My heart said Go to Vilna G dare I pray yet once again Am For the chance to find a loved one, D or perhaps a childhood friend D G It took many months to get there, C From the late spring to the fall D G And as I, many others, Bm close to four hundred in all C And slowly there was healing, G darkened souls now mixed with light Am When someone proudly cried out, D Simchas Torah is tonight Chorus B7 Em We danced round and round in circles Am Bm as if the world had done no wrong Em From evening until morning, Am D filling up the shul with song Em Though we had no sifrei torah Am Bm to clutch close to our hearts Em In their place, we held the future, D C of a past so torn apart D G We ran as one towards the shul, C our spirits in a trance D G We tore apart the barricade, Bm in defiance we would dance C But the scene before our eyes G shook us to the core Am Scraps of siddur, bullet holes, D and bloodstains on the floor D G Turning to the eastern wall, C we looked on in despair D G There'd be no scrolls to dance with, Bm the Holy Ark was bare C Then we heard two children crying, G a boy and girl who no one knew Am We realized no children D were among us but those two Chorus B7 Em We danced round and round in circles Am Bm as if the world had done no wrong Em From evening until morning, Am D filling up the shul with song Em Though we had no sifrei torah Am Bm to gather in our arms Em In their place, we held those children D C The Jewish people would live on B7 Em We danced round and round in circles Am Bm as if the world had done no wrong Em From evening until morning, Am D filling up the shul with song Em Though we had no sifrei torah Am Bm to clutch and hold up high Em In their place, we held those children D C Am Yisrael Chai B7 Em We danced round and round in circles Am Bm as if the world had done no wrong Em From evening until morning, Am D filling up the shul with song Em Though we had no sifrei torah Am Bm to gather in our arms Em In their place, we held those children D C The Jewish people would live on D C Am Yisrael Chai D C The Jewish people would live on D Bm Em The Jewish people will live on
1 COMMENT
Very beautiful song. Just davened in the only working shul in Vilna today, where the story might’ve happened. It makes the song so much more impactful, being able to see the shul yourself. It works nowadays as a Chabad shul being mekarev Jews in Vilna. AM YISRAEL CHAI!!!