SingHebrew

Eved Amemaher

A Slave That Hurries

by Shlomo Artzi

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leyad hatzomet yesh machnak mechamsinim umubach
By the junction there's a gridlock from heatwaves and haze
eved al chamor anachnu betoch mechonit
A worker on a donkey, we're inside a car
kach tempo paamayim garinim
Have some Tempo, twice, sunflower seeds
bezol bezol ish
Cheap, so cheap, man
omer avad beivrit meleat chatzatz vaavanim
Says the worker in Hebrew full of gravel and stones
"zeman tzahov" kore gerosman lamatzav hara
"Yellow Time" is what Grossman calls the bad situation
"hakol politika" omer eved hamemaher
"It's all politics" says the worker in a hurry
hu meshotet kemo arnav min matara naa
He roams like a rabbit, a kind of moving target
hu meshotet mibayit ad beer
He roams from home to the well
leyad hatzomet yesh machnak mechamsinim umubach
By the junction there's a gridlock from heatwaves and haze
eyn po ahava rak gelalim shel chamorim
There's no love here, only donkey droppings
aravim balayla, mehirim, dakim kegome
Arabs at night, swift, thin as reeds
hishlichu rimonim,
They threw grenades,
lo sal temarim meduvlalim
Not a basket of scrambled dates
eyn kocha od betel aviv uvkalkilya
There's no more strength in Tel Aviv and in Qalqilya
"hakol politika" omer eved hamemaher
"It's all politics" says the worker in a hurry
shibolim porchot, aviv, mamash idilya
Stalks are blooming, spring, a perfect idyll
tziutz gover mibayit ad beer
Chirping grows louder from home to the well
tzarich lomar et ze,
We need to say it,
tzarich lashir et ze betzaar
We need to sing it with sorrow
od lo lamadnu kelum kach hitbarer
We still haven't learned a thing, so it turns out
tzarich lomar et ze,
We need to say it,
tzarich lashir et ze betzaar
We need to sing it with sorrow
od lo lamadnu kelum kach hitbarer
We still haven't learned a thing, so it turns out
"im hazeman od tilmedu aleynu
"With time you'll learn more about us
mashehu yesh tzorech"
Something, there is a need"
omer eved ummaher, shafuf velo mitcharet
Says the worker and hurries, hunched and unrepentant
"eych hashamayim shelachem hem kemo shelanu
"How your skies are just like ours
hem kemo shel od
They're like everyone else's
vehasade sheli ani shelo kemo peri laetz"
And my field, I am its, like a fruit to a tree"
im hachamor avar leyad beer hamayim
With the donkey he passed by the water well
kadur o even ze lo peyer
A bullet or a stone, that's not fair
pogu beeved hamemaher
They hit the worker in a hurry
hakol mibeney adam - lo mishamayim
It's all from human hands — not from heaven
od lo lamadnu kelum kach mitbarer
We still haven't learned a thing, so it appears
tzarich lomar et ze,
We need to say it,
tzarich lashir et ze betzaar
We need to sing it with sorrow
od lo lamadnu kelum kach hitbarer
We still haven't learned a thing, so it turns out
tzarich lomar et ze,
We need to say it,
tzarich lashir et ze betzaar
We need to sing it with sorrow
od lo lamadnu kelum
We still haven't learned a thing
od lo lamadnu kelum
We still haven't learned a thing
lo lamadnu kelum
We haven't learned a thing
kach hitbarer
So it turns out
leyad hatzomet yesh machnak mechamsinim umubach
By the junction there's a gridlock from heatwaves and haze
eyn po ahava rak gelalim shel chamorim
There's no love here, only donkey droppings
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