INTRO: 

After I heard a Dylan playlist for about two days (I heard Desolation Row about 20 times in a loop), I felt like writing an eternal love song. Suddenly, this country song-story about a Bonny & Clyde like couple of criminals who fall in love.

 

The tune came from the very first words. Just popped up. Having said that, I had to rewrite this story quite a lot to turn it into a song.

 

It’s a love song, but unlike Gift, it’s a fictional love, passionate and filled with rapture that is not bound by trivial things such as time and death. 

​

LYRICS

Hey, hey, I’m not too sentimental, but seeing Lady in her pink continental, 

I knew then and there, I’d already lost my heart. 

Started looking for an angle to help get me and Lady entangled, 

I woo-woo-woo-wooed her with all of my heart.

Knew that me and Lady gonna part. 

Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na.

 

By dinner we were veteran lovers, we shared and cared for each other, 

And by midnight I knew every inch of Lady by heart.

Finding a soul-mate's really rare, me and Lady, the perfect pair, 

We inked our chests with each others' hearts.

Knew that me and Lady gonna part. 

Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na.

 

We left Vegas just before dawn 'coz Lady’s credit was also outdrawn, 

Two lucky losers running with love in their hearts.

We drove endlessly all the time hustling by on petty crimes, 

Spending hours and centuries in heart to hearts.

Knew that me and Lady gonna part. 

Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na.

 

Then one day as was expected the law won and our hide-out was raided,

I caught Lady’s bullet straight through my heart.

And as I faded into a haze, couldn’t help smiling as Lady got away, 

Knowing I'd live forever in her heart of hearts.

Knew that me and Lady now apart. 

Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na.

 

Waiting in Hell, spinning rhymes, on the look-out for Lady all of the time, 

To finally laugh and cry with all my heart.

Now me and Lady together again, Hell ain't so bad when you got a friend, 

'Coz our souls are damned to eternity to never part.

Me and Lady never gonna part. 

Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na.

 

We're never gonna to part.

We're never gonna to part.

We're never gonna to part.

We're never gonna to part.

 

Me and Lady never gonna part.

INTRO: 

This song emerged on a night where I couldn’t fall asleep. I had just binged on a whole season of Succession in 3 days. I barely worked, barely functioned and when I went to sleep on the third night, I felt that I wasn’t living my life but the lives of the characters in the series.

 

I started humming myself a lullaby but instead it came out more bluesy, more threatening. But here and there, I heard an angelic voice which soothed me. At the end I fell asleep hearing the tune of the chorus.

 

From here, I thought about other similar moments for me and for people I love. Moments which seem endless. Moments which are opposite the wonderful fluidic disappearance between consciousness and sleep. But at the end we always fall asleep. Here the angelic voice is my middle daughter’s Lanuel. Somehow, she manages to light up this song with hope. 

​

LYRICS

So now, now I lay me down to sleep,

I’m floating like an angel, yeah feeling like a creep.

My mind is in a fuzzy haze,

'Coz I watched three seasons in three days.

By episode one, we were blood friends, 

But by day two, I just needed it to end.

 

I just wanna say,

Survived another groundhog night,

Following a groundhog day.

I’m fading away, away, away, 

Living lives that aren’t mine,

Wasting my life away.

I just want to say…

 

And now, now I lay me down to sleep,

Living in my dark room, yeah for three weeks.

I’ve barely eaten in three nights,

Feeding by thumbing through people’s lives.

My world is turning but I am still,

I’m losing my life, already lost my will.

 

I want to play,

I really need you by my side,

To help dull this awful pain.

Looking for a way, a way, a way,

To outshine the sunshine’s light,

Just like my golden days.

I just want to play…

 

And now, now I lay me down to sleep,

Feeling kinda lonely, yeah feeling kinda weak.

We’re together and yet we’re apart,

Oh baby, we’re breaking our own hearts.

I just want to reach out and touch you too,

To laugh and dance like we used to do.

 

So, babe please stay, 

Don’t want to be alone tonight,

I’m feeling kinda small today.

Then we connect, OK, OK,

I think we're gonna be alright,

And I’ll finally feel whole again.

 

I just wanna say, 

Can't help but love and fight,

The demons inside our brains.

It’s just a maze, a maze, a maze,

How we manage all our frights,

‘Coz when we play, we gotta pay.

 

So now, now I lay me down to sleep…

Now I lay me down to sleep...

Now I lay me down to…sleep.

INTRO: 

This is actually the first song which awakened my interest in writing and creating music.

​

It’s the day of atonement (Kippur). 12:15 at night. I am sick of watching another series on Netflix.  I’m sick of this feeling of copy-pasting my life and of my desire to change which never becomes a final decision of act.

 

I leave my house and decide to walk to the beach. On the way, I listen mostly to Leonard Cohen and a bit of Bob Marley. I make it to the beach after about forty minutes. I’m alone and lonely, exposed and vulnerable and I am thinking of the people I want to apologize to and to forgive but there’s no one to talk to. And most of all I want to apologize to myself and to forgive myself that I gave up on myself.

 

And then, I heard within the sound of the waves the chimes of bells which probably came from Leonard Cohen’s Anthem:

Ring the bells that still can ring, forget your perfect offering.

There's a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in.

 

In  my case, these were bells which heralded the time to decide for myself. I started writing and humming. On the way back home, most of the song was done.

 

Part of the essence of this song is that I have to sing it. It’s a small but significant change. I have done hundreds of presentations and lectures in my life but I never dared to sing. The change starts with a goal to sing this song in front of others or at least in front of friends and family.

 

Having said that, I had this distant feeling that I wasn’t really changing anything.

​

LYRICS

It’s the chosen night to atone, to apologize and to forgive.

I’m beach-side, I'm all alone, no one to take nor to give.

It’s just me, only me, looking back into myself.

And I don’t like what I see, I’m just aching for someone else.

Then sea breezes embrace me and I’m crying out for help.

A cry meant for only me, to hear the bells of change.

 

The bells of change, those swells of change,

I gotta change, I gotta change.

And ain’t it strange, ain't it strange,

I only have myself to blame.

I’m defeated by my own games, ignoring those bells of change.

 

I wish I could be, just be, not some prisoner from my past.

Not a wannabe me of me, to float where the waves may cast.

No perils in front of me, living each moment to the last.

And then I think of family, of she, she, she and she.

Each suffering in her own way, their pain-pain-paining me.

No, it’s not enough to hope and pray, gonna ring the bells of change. 

 

The bells of change, those swells of change,

I’ve gotta change, I'm gonna change. 

And ain’t it strange, ain't it strange,

How loved ones created my frame. 

And purpose ignited my flames, to ring out the bells of change.

 

Yep, this time, I’m gonna change, this time I’ll tap into my well.

Of the man within the child in me, this time I'll ring my own bells.

I broke a loop, walked far for me, broke a loop, got home way past three.

Well, some loops joined me by the sea and some stayed there as well.

Timing's right, it’s a different scene, time to leave my golden cell.

Sing these words and set me free, singing my bells of change.

 

My bells of change, my swells of change,

I’m gonna change, I'm gonna change. 

And ain’t it strange, ain't it strange,

This time I'll play it sane.

I'll love me more, much less shame, ringing out my bells of change.

 

My bells of change, my swells of change, Hallelujah, I just changed.

And ain’t it strange, aint it strange…my song remains the same.

And my song remains the same, my song remains the same.

And our songs remain the same, our songs remain the same.

Our song remains the same, our song remains the same.

Intro:

The name Joy requires happiness. I didn’t start out as Joy - I was born Joseph, became Jojo for my family, changed to Joey on my second day in the army, and then to Joy as I developed an outlook I called happierness - not to strive for happiness but to strive to becoming a bit happier (change between goal and path).

To be honest, I smiled and laughed more when I was younger. I have now lost access to part of the fun within me. I guess that some of the scars of my life have sealed part of my happiness/joy. But I am still known by my friends and family as someone who smiles a lot, takes it easy and is chill. When people ask me how I am, I usually say “most is good”. It’s sort of a compromise which has a lot of strength. I can focus on the majority which is good in my life without feeling fake.

Then I thought about all those moments where “all is good”, moments which came and went within seconds but somehow live on in my memory. So, as part of an exercise, I started thinking about such moments and suddenly all was good and I wrote this song.

​

 

Moments 

It's my urge to own her pain just to help her sleep again.

It's feeling happy giving in so she's happier than she'd been.

It's living to enrich her life, to make her laugh, to make her smile.

It's knowing deep down inside, I'll always be by her side.

 

It’s those moments in my life when everything feels alright.

It’s when I feel that I’m connected, and time flies undetected. 

Dai-dayenu, dayenu, dai-dayenu, dayenu.

 

It's unexpected thanks I get, from inspired people who felt in debt.

It's the linger of his silky hands though he’s buried in Holy sands.

It's eating heart-cooked meals, love alive in taste, smell and feel.

It's a misty pond at dawn, reliving now what’s long long gone.

 

It’s those moments in my life when everything feels alright.

It’s when I feel that I’m connected, and time flies undetected. 

Dai-dayenu, dayenu, dai-dayenu, dayenu.

 

It’s music in the desert dawn, born a duckling, dancing like a swan.

It's feeling her breath shake from the slightest move that I make.

It’s baking bread and feeling content, coz their joy's transparent.

It's looking into the mirror naked, loving all of me , no part hated.

 

It’s those moments in my life when everything feels alright.

It’s when I feel that I’m connected, and time flies undetected. 

Dai-dayenu, dayenu, dai-dayenu, dayenu.

 

It's being accepted & needed, feeling connected, flaws unheeded.

It's being unafraid of death, not thinking about another breath. 

It’s releasing to song birds & breezes, to showers that eases.

It's that moment of being now, with no past nor future somehow.

 

It’s those moments in my life when everything feels alright.

It’s those moments in my life when everything feels alright.

Dai-dayenu, dayenu, dai-dayenu, dayenu.

Dai-dayenu, dayenu, dai-dayenu, dayenu.

Dai-dayenu, dayenu, dai-dayenu, dayenu.

Dai-dayenu, dayenu, dai-dayenu, dayenu.

Intro: 
Ever pick up your phone and wanted to call someone (anyone) but couldn't bring yourself to connect? Well, this is a song about such a moment, a moment of loneliness, insecurity and regret.

It’s Friday afternoon - it’s a bit chilly but there is a glorious sun out.

My wife went for a weekend to Turkey and I’m home alone. I feel like going out so I take out my telephone to call and meet up with a friend. My best friend was busy, another couple of friends were on holiday as well. So I find myself sitting in front of my phone feeling helpless because I can’t find one friend who I feel comfortable calling up spontaneously. This voice within me warns me not to initiate contact with people I haven’t spoken to in a (long) while. Watch out…don’t call…maybe they won’t want to really be with you…maybe they have better plans…I don’t know what to talk to them about…And suddenly I am in a never-ending loop.

The memories of great times that I had had on Friday afternoons in Tel Aviv in my past weighed down on me. I decide to take advantage of my unease to write a song and in doing so, decide that once the song is done, I will go out on my own and what will be will be.

And that’s what happened. The minute I finished this song, I got out of the house, helped some neighbors to rescue a kitten, went to a bar and enjoyed the music and the people who I met there.

It’s a song about frustration from my world which became smaller, about helplessness despite realization. 

​

 

Lovely Friday Afternoon 

Friday afternoon, home alone and I'm blue.

Everywhere to go, got nothing to do.

Frozen in this moment, thinking about you (you, you).

Dreaming 'bout being out there too.. X 2

 

Friday afternoon, soaking through & through,

So hot, they're hosing us down.

Street-happy, dancing close with you (you, you).

Feeling free and loved all around… X 2

 

It's Friday afternoon, but bridges became walls.

It's Friday afternoon, and my world feels small.

Gotta drop this mike and leave real soon.

Feeling loveless on this Friday afternoon.

 

Friday afternoon, the burners' hill, the Plaja view.

Crowds hush at the sun's last licks.

Anticipating radical partying with you (you, you).

A joyous roar into a night of magic…X 2

 

Friday afternoon, lost somewhere in this zoo.

Are lonely friends just like me.

I'm missing possibilities of us just like you (you, you).

Moments together that would never be… X 2

 

It's Friday afternoon, and bridges became walls.

It's Friday afternoon, and my world feels small.

Just dropped my mike and left the room.

To enjoy a lovely Friday afternoon.

Just dropped my mike and left the room.

To enjoy a lovely Friday afternoon.

Intro:

After I wrote Lady, I thought about more fictional stories. I had just heard Bowie’s song Suffragette City and got caught on its opening “Hey man”.

What emerged was a song about a hot headed but cold blooded killer who kills anyone who bothers him leaving behind a trail of widows who want only revenge. What’s peculiar about this killer is that he understands that his brutal end is coming but he still kills anyway. It’s a bit like the story of the scorpion which stings the frog in the middle of their river crossing, sending them both to their deaths while simply admitting that “it’s in my nature”.

If Lady was based on love, Widow is based on hate and violence but here too, there’s the issue of an afterlife because I thought that such evil couldn’t be stopped just because someone died.

It’s a song about primal evil and justice and all that is in between. 

​

Widow’s Revenge 

I said hey man, I come here for the show, you making my life slow.

I said hey man, step out of my face, you crowding my space.

But don’t worry about your widow, I’ll care for her like my soul.

And, cheer up my new dead friend, coz' I’m sure to die a widow’s revenge. 

 

I said hey man, I’m pumped on cocaine, I'm feeling no pain.

I said hey man, remind me someone I knew, smart-ass just like  you.

But don’t worry about your widow, I’ll care for her like my soul.

And, cheer up my new dead friend, coz' I’m sure to die a widow’s revenge. 

 

I said hey man, stop eyeing her that way, she's solely mine to play.

I said hey man, better back down, or your blood’ll turn brown.

But don’t worry about your widow, I’ll care for her like my soul.

And, cheer up my new dead friend, coz' I’m sure to die a widow’s revenge. 

 

I said hey man, I see a glint of me in you, steel cold inside too.

I said hey man, I guess today’s my day’ need a moment to pray.

Saw you talking to that widow, may the devil have mercy on my soul.

But watch out my killer friend, you’re sure to die a widow’s revenge.

 

I said hey man, see you on the inside, no where you can hide.

I said hey man, waiting for you here in Hell, you can bunk in my cell.

Meantime, kiss all the widows, hello rock, by by roll.

Kiss-kiss all the widows, hello rock, by by roll.

Kiss-kiss all the widows, hello rock, by by roll.

Hello rock, by by roll,

Hello rock, by by roll,

Hello rock, by by roll.

Intro:

This song was born from a sentence which came up while thinking of ways to block a very right-wing government from creating a revolution in Israel. “There’s gotta be a way to stop this” I mumbled to myself. But then, the skeptic in me awoke…maybe there isn’t a solution to every problem. Sometimes, things take a negative turn (from my perspective of course) and there isn’t a happy end.

On the third hand, there might not be a solution but it may be better to live in hope even if it is an illusion. If I stick to skepticism and being “rational”, I’ll miss out the the wonderful feeling of hope which lights up our lives in dark times.

And what about the hopelessness of illusions? I think that we live most of our lives in illusion. The illusion that it’s going to be alright, that we won’t suffer, that we won’t hurt our loved ones, that we won’t get a terminal disease, that our love is forever, a happy end. Even something as concrete as death sometimes is welcomed with surprize and an inability to understand when it shows up.

So maybe I can fix what’s wrong for me. And maybe I can’t. It’s better to strive for a positive change than to give up on a gloomy reality.

The tune I developed is sort of bluesy because this is a blues song at its core.

It’s a song about ambivalence in its simplest form - there are good intentions and there is a reality which sometimes fits our intentions but generally doesn’t.

​

There’s Gotta Be A Way

There’s gotta be a way, people keep telling me,

There’s gotta be a way, for left and right to meet,

There’s gotta be a way, for compassion to lead,

There’s gotta be a way.

 

And I’m here to say,

That love boat long done sailed away,

Them politicians vote, we're gonna pay.

There’s gotta be a way.

 

There's gotta be a way, to get out of this mess,

There’s gotta be a way, to make this hurt less,   

There’s gotta be a way, to re-spark happiness,

There’s gotta be a way.

 

And I’m here to say,

You can’t relive what time's taken away,

Some scars done healed, not faded away.

There’s gotta be a way.

 

There’s gotta be a way, for us to all get along,

There’s gotta be a way, for righting what’s wrong,

There’s gotta be a way, to all join in song,

There’s gotta be a way.

 

And I’m here to say,

Change gets tough when it’s your turn to play,

Good intentions pave the roads to Hell, some say.

There’s gotta be a way.

 

And I’m here to say,

Can’t stop thinking that it’s too dark to play,

And can’t stop looking for the sun's first rays.

There’s gotta be a way.

 

There’s gotta be a way,

There’s gotta be a way,

There’s gotta be a way,

There’s gotta be a way.

Intro:

I nicknamed my middle daughter a hedgehog/porcupine. She suffers from ADHD and if she feels an inkling of criticism or rejection, she has a tendency to “blow”. Until the age of 12, it was really hard to love her - we would fight 2-3 times a day and it was frustrating.

Then, one day, I joined my sister-in-law to meet a Buddhist nun by the name of Tanzin Palermo. The weekend was pleasant (I met some interesting people, ate vegan food…) but there was a half hour discussion which riveted me - it started when she asked a question “How can you love the unlovable?”. I immediately thought of my daughter because although I wanted to love her, it was painful. The answer to her question? “By making them your teacher”. Now all I needed was to find out what was my lesson from my young teacher.

In the case of my daughter, the lesson was simple: don’t hit on the iron when it’s hot…when she’s upset and I’m upset, there’s no way to connect nor to communicate. But if i calm down, there’s a chance she might as well.

So this song sort of marches to a happy ending until I realized that my little daughter also became a hedgehog. So she became my teacher as well. Together with all the other people who aren’t easy to love. So from some, I learned their lessons, and from others, I’m still looking.

​

Hugging my Hedgehogs

Tenzin murmured in her orange robes. 

“How to love the unlovable?” she probed.

And I thought of my hedgehog, of her.

Her answer: “By making them our teachers”,

To teach us to be better human beings

And to spread love, give life meaning.

 

If she’s my teacher, what’s my lesson?

Given the answer, I still had a question. X2.

 

My first hedgehog was prickly hard to hug,

For over a decade, I searched and dug,

I tried different approaches repeatedly, 

Hoping she would change to suit me,

So I could hug her lovingly and painlessly,

And get us to normal, as was meant to be.

 

If she’s my teacher, what’s my lesson?

Given the answer, I still had a question. X2.

 

So the next time she whipped her thorns

I walked away from hot insults thrown.

I walked away promising closure in the future.

She ran after me rattling her thorns to injure,

But I called a time-out and went on.

If she’s my teacher, what’s my lesson?

 

If she’s my teacher, what’s my lesson?

Given the answer, I still had a question. X2.

 

After fifteen minutes I figured it out

Her lesson was simple, no doubt:

Hit the iron when it’s cold, not hot.

I went to her, calm in heart and thought.

She gloomily sat on her bed, ready to fight.

Minutes later we were hugging to my delight.

 

If she’s my teacher, what’s my lesson?

Given the answer, I still had a question. X2.

 

And we’ve been hugging ever since,

Yeah, we have our downs, but no violence.

Then, a new hedgehog came into my life,

She was easy to hug when things were right,

And then things went terribly wrong,

Now, she’s my teacher, what’s my lesson?

 

If she’s my teacher, what’s my lesson?

Given the answer, I still had a question. X4.

Intro:

This song is based on one of those "a-ha" moments in my life. 

I was turning 50 and I did what I had never done before: I flew to Koh Phangan for 10 days by myself. I immediately found myself on my beach-side porch, listening constantly to music, eating only a plate of mango a day and feeling content to be by myself - I was happy to be free.

On the third day, in the hot afternoon, a woman showed up at the deserted beach. Suddenly, my freedom felt lonely and I ached to talk to her, but instead, I just played out these million scenarios in my head. After one song, I looked over and she was gone. It was only about three and half minutes but I was struck by the thought about all the wasted moments in my last 50 years when I chose to think and not to act. 

About a quarter of an hour later, a woman wearing a pink straw hat walked up to the beach. This time, I jumped out of my chair. We talked, swam, laughed and had a good time, then we split up and never met. I don’t really recall much about her. Not her name, not what she looked like…I’m not even sure if her hat was pink…

I had a vision of what I called the “Circle of Suffering” which is made up of one question mark (! = decision/action) next to one ellipsis (... = release) and many question marks (? = indecision) in between. While the first two occur in the present, the third dwells in the past and in the future and I realized that life feels like it’s lived only in the present, only in action and in release, and that suffering increases with each question mark. 

​

The Woman In The Pink Straw Hat

Fifty, enjoying a mango, looking out to sea,

My life’s playlists sweet company for me.

Spot her walking up to our empty beach

Bouncing on thoughts of what might be.

Look back to sea, floating on waves of music,

Doing time, loop-looping on possibilities

Song ends, she's gone and my blood’s thick,

Four minutes twelve seconds wasted in futility.

 

Welcome to my circle of suffering,

Of action and release with questions in between.

‘coz while the first two feed the present,

Looping questions fuel past and future torments. 

 

Look back to sea, back to the beach, back to me.

My cozy sea-side porch morphs into a cage.

Don’t wanna be that guy who just listens and sees,

Gotta make my own music, play my own stage.

Time tick tocks on, I'm beating me constantly,

Then vow out loud: don’t wait, just act.

The woman in the pink straw hat appears,

And I’m by her side in fifty six seconds flat.

 

Welcome to my circle of suffering,

Of action and release with questions in between.

‘coz while the first two feed the present,

Looping questions fuel past and future torments. 

 

Can’t remember her name, what she looked like,

Talked for hours, don't recall about what.

Swam, smoked, laughed and then goodbyes,

All so flow, didn’t even plan to meet up.

Never saw her again, that woman and her hat,

Whistled back to my porch, feeling our embrace.

Maybe her hat wasn't pink, my memory does that,

But I learned that time spent on indecision is a waste.

 

Welcome to my circle of suffering,

Of action and release with questions in between.

‘coz while the first two feed the present,

Looping questions fuel past and future torments. 

Intro: 

These songs were born out of a series of documentaries on religious or cult leaders. I was shocked again to realize just how sickening phenomenon is. It’s hard to understand how a person can convince people to give up their judgment for his/her purpose and use them with one simple promise: a ticket to paradise.

A ticket to paradise is the ultimate placebo: they tell you to pray like this, eat like that, act like this, think like that, feel like this etc…and you’ll win a ticket to paradise. There’s only one small problem: there’s no proof that there is actually a paradise. It’s a placebo because people who believe in it actually enjoy a sense of purpose and order in the world - with God’s help.

I started writing a song from the perspective of the leader and then wrote another song from the perspective of the believers. The first song focuses mostly on three cult leaders who brought with them events in which believers were kidnapped, raped, stolen from and murdered. The second song explores what believers give up to win a ticket.

 

Hallelu Me

Keep, keep sweet, he whispered his decree,

While marrying off teen girls for his vanity.

Give, give me your lives, that’s God’s plan,

Your blind faith will make me a rich man.

Pray, pray and obey me without questions,

I promise you a one-way ticket to Heaven.

 

Beware, beware of what false prophets sell,

False promises of Heaven while you live in Hell.

Beware, beware of what false prophets preach,

It ain’t Hallelujah any more, it’s Hallelu me.

Yeah it ain’t Hallelujah any more, it’s Hallelu me.

 

Come, come to the party, he said,

Not much to offer but spiked Kool-Aid.

Obey, obey me now, and think positive,

‘Coz when I die, none of you can live.

First, first to your children, no questions,

I promise we will be reunited in Heaven.

 

Beware, beware of what false prophets sell,

False promises of Heaven while you live in Hell.

Beware, beware of what false prophets preach,

It ain’t Hallelujah any more, it’s Hallelu me.

Yeah it ain’t Hallelujah any more, it’s Hallelu me.

 

Gather, gather around and toe the line,

Helter skelter’s a’coming, your time to shine.

Seek, seek out the beautiful and commit,

There’s a war brewing and we’ll ignite it.

Stab, stab the pregnant star without questions,

Loyal family, I got you all tickets to Heaven.

 

Beware, beware of what false prophets sell,

False promises of Heaven while you live in Hell.

Beware, beware of what false prophets preach,

It ain’t Hallelujah any more, it’s Hallelu me.

Yeah it ain’t Hallelujah any more, it’s Hallelu me.

Yeah it ain’t Hallelujah any more, it’s Hallelu me.

Yeah it ain’t Hallelujah any more, it’s Hallelu me.

Yeah it ain’t Hallelujah any more, it’s Hallelu me.

Yeah it ain’t Hallelujah any more, it’s Hallelu me.

 

 

Placebo Pigeons

People believing they got VIP tickets

And got connections with the doorman.

People kneeling to unseen masters

Trading free will in return for a plan.

People obeying speakers of gospels

Who sign checks like summer snowmen.

People acting out on ancient etiquettes,

And enchanting mumbles of a shaman.

 

They’re buying into visions of old religions,

Turning humans into placebo pigeons,

Ignoring, reason, science and evolution,

Tripping on fantasies, believing reason.

 

People forced to suffer by believers,

Who decide for them because they can.

People giving away their lives and livelihood

While their priests party with cash in hand.

People who are blinded by hope, 

Living through Hell for a ticket to Heaven.

People marrying off their teen daughter,

Their prophet decides who’s the lucky old man.

 

They’re buying into visions of old religions,

Turning humans into placebo pigeons,

Ignoring, reason, science and evolution,

Tripping on fantasies, believing reason.

 

People killing others for different beliefs

Or for daring to cross a line in the sand.

People eating their last meal eyeing the comet

Expecting to resurrect in some space land.

People killing their children, then themselves

Drinking cyanide Kool-Aid from tin cans.

People on a rampage, stabbing stars,

Scrawling pig, with blood on their hands.

 

They’re buying into visions of old religions,

Turning humans into placebo pigeons,

Ignoring, reason, science and evolution,

Tripping on fantasies, believing reason.

Intro:

I was turning 50 and I did what I had never done before: I flew to Koh Phangan for 10 days by myself. I immediately found myself on my beach-side porch, listening constantly to music, eating only a plate of mango a day and feeling content to be by myself - I was happy to be free.

On the third day, at about 13:00, the sea had gone strangely flat - not a wave nor a ripple in sight. Everything just seemed to stop. I got up for a swim. I remember wading in very slowly, trying not to upset the sea. There was this surreal feel around me - the water was warm and silky and I could hear myself breathing.  

I looked out to the horizon and felt really small in a good way - I was connected to the universe. It was just for a split second but it was so overpowering that I remember saying out loud “this is heaven”. I then turned back to the beach and spotted some people on the beach and everything changed: Suddenly, all my feelings of freedom and connection disappeared and instead, I felt this hollow dark pain. I missed my family and my friends and I missed connecting with people. Then this thought came to my head and I forced myself to say it outloud: “this is hell”. 

I realized that heaven and hell were in my mind and that the line between them is very very thin. So, yes, I could reach Hell in a split second but I could also reach Heaven in a split second as well. I smiled.

 

The Thin Line

 

I landed at Mr. Nice's beach on Tuesday,

Was finally alone, my family far away,

A birthday gift from my loving wife,

I'd never been by myself all of my life.  

 

And it felt good, so good, so good, so good.

Yeah, it felt good, so good, so good, so good.

 

Spent three days on my porch, by the sea.

Living on a daily mango, smokes and coffee.

The playlist of my life served as my muse

Recording 50 years of thoughts and views.

 

And it felt flow, so flow, so flow, so flow.

Yeah, it felt flow, so flow, so flow, so flow.

 

By mid-day, the warm sea became lead

Not a wave nor a ripple, dead calm ahead.

I waded in, feeling at one with the universe

I was in Heaven, in sea and sky, I immersed.

 

And it felt nice, so nice, so nice, so nice.

Yeah, it felt nice, so nice, so nice, so nice.

 

I turned around, looked back at the beach

At the people who were out of my reach.

Within a second, I started to rapidly fall.

I was in Hell, lonely, disconnected from all.

 

And it felt bad, so bad, so bad, so bad.

Yeah, it felt bad, so bad, so bad, so bad.

 

That’s when I heard this, as clear as a bell

It’s a thin line between heaven and hell

I smiled ’cause I knew this wasn’t the end

It’s also a thin line between hell and heaven.

 

And it felt good, so good, so good, so good – yeah, it's a thin line.

Yeah, it felt good, so good, so good, so good – heaven and hell, yeah, yeah.

And it felt good, so good, so good, so good – yeah, it's a thin line.

Yeah, it felt good, so good, so good, so good – hell and heaven, yeah, yeah.

And it felt good, so good, so good, so good – yeah, it's a thin line.

Yeah, it felt good, so good, so good, so good – heaven and hell, yeah, yeah.

And it felt good, so good, so good, so good – yeah, it's a thin line.

Yeah, it felt good, so good, so good, so good – hell and heaven, yeah, yeah.

Intro:

This song is about a special kind of lie: thoughts unsaid. Some might even dismiss this definition of a lie but I know that it’s true for me. Lying isn’t only saying things which aren’t true, it’s not saying things which were.

Why are thoughts left unsaid? Perhaps out of fear, weakness, shame, love, regret, denial, pride, pain…I’m not talking about thoughts that came and went - I’m talking about thoughts that park in my mind in endless loops. Therapists and priests could help give these thoughts a voice but it isn’t the same as voicing them to the relevant people.

What do I regret most? Things I did or things I wish I had done? Thoughts I had voiced or thoughts left unsaid? I think the latter in both cases. But had I done whatever I wanted to do and said whatever I wanted to say, I believe that I would have lived my life as a lone wanderer. I chose relationships every time.

Sometimes, I get upset with myself that I didn’t release these thoughts because they remind me that I am not free. And then I remind myself that no one ever knows everything about someone else because everyone has thoughts left unsaid.

I believe that a death-bed is a great moment to release what was left unsaid. This song is what I imagine my death-bed moment to be. 

 

 

Thoughts Left Unsaid

Yeah, my friends, this is my end.

I'm getting closer, no need for a map 

Probably won't wake from my next nap

Keeping time kept through monitor beeps

Sometimes unaware if I'm awake or asleep.

They huddle in to love, question or judge

I see you and hear you but I can't budge

I forgive you all, hope you'll forgive me too

I love you all and never wanted to hurt you.

 

Yeah, my friends, this is my end.

Bitter-sweet death waiting around the bend.

Yeah, yeah, and floating in my head

Are millions of buried thoughts left unsaid.

 

Yeah, my friends, this is my end.

Thanks to all who brought light to my world

And to those with whom I truly connected

Some live on only as distant memories

My blurring mind echoes with their melodies

Some don't even know how much I cared

They might have missed me more had I dared

I'll take with me some secrets never told

Of odd sprints and stumbles on dark side-roads

 

Yeah, my friends, this is my end.

Bitter-sweet death waiting around the bend.

Yeah, yeah, and floating in my head

Are millions of buried thoughts left unsaid.

 

Yeah, my friends, this is my end.

I never believed in God or any higher being.

It was always clear to me, life's for the living.

I know there's no Heaven or Hell out there

And I don't expect anyone for death to share.

I'm ready to go, yeah, I have been for a while

I'm ready to close my part in the circle of life

If only I had known then what I know now

Nah, I would have done the same, no doubt.

 

Yeah, my friends, this is my end.

Bitter-sweet death waiting around the bend.

Yeah, yeah, and floating in my head

Are millions of buried thoughts left unsaid.

Yeah, my friends, this is my end.

I merge with light, my life was only for rent.

Yeah, yeah, and floating in my head

Is an echo of a thought left unsaid.

Intro:

On October 7th, 2023, Hamas terrorists from Gaza raided Israel and brutally killed, raped, decapitated, burned and kidnapped innocent Israeli civilians. One of their targets was a music festival called Nova Tribe where about 5,000 Israelis had come together for a night of dance, love and peace. The terrorists slaughtered 357 and kidnapped 27 and most of the survivors saw and experienced things that will probably haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Four days before, Amir, one of my coworkers told us that he was going to the party and asked a young girl called Mia to join him. During that horrifying day, I remembered this but discounted it, hoping that he didn’t go. In fact he did attend the festival and he was one of the survivors who had run fast enough. Mia, on the other hand, did not go and was saved from this traumatic experience. She even forgot that he had asked her to come with him. 

This song is about what might have been…Amir might not have made it out. Mia might have gone and never come back. Amir and Mia might have fallen in love and married. Revolving doors…

​

 

Mia, Mi amor

Mia, oh bella mia, mi amor, 

Mia, oh bella mia, mi amor. 

 

Mia, oh Mia, come, come with me

It'll be magic, we'll dance wild and free

We’ll dive South for a tribal weekend

Just maybe we'll be more than friends.

 

Mia, oh Mia, I wish you were here

This would all be better if you were near

Strobes and beats feed the desert night

Still hoping you'll show up at first light.

 

Mia, oh bella mia, mi amor, 

Mia, oh bella mia, mi amor, 

Mia, oh bella mia, mi amor, 

I've never been in love before.

 

Mia, oh Mia, gotta know I miss you so

Desert dawn dancing like no tomorrow

Our souls rise with the sun's pinkish rays

Wait, shots, yeah, shots coming my way. 

 

Mia, oh Mia, not sure I'll see you again

Breathe in, breathe out, try to stay sane

I'm under some dead friends, playing dead

Even your blue blue eyes are turning red.

 

Mia, oh bella mia, mi amor, 

Mia, oh bella mia, mi amor, 

Mia, oh bella mia, mi amor, 

Wanna live, be with you more.

 

Mia, oh Mia, so happy you didn't come

This morning I melted at baby's tin drum

Peace and love don't mix with murder and rape

Sobbing in your arms, blessed I escaped. 

 

Mia, oh bella mia, mi amor, 

Mia, oh bella mia, mi amor, 

Mia, oh bella mia, mi amor, 

Mia, oh bella mia, mi amor, 

Mia, oh bella mia, mi amor, 

Mia, oh bella mia, mi amor, 

Mia, oh bella mia, mi amor, 

You’re the only one I adore.

INTRO: 

As you might understand from its name, this song is made up of quotes from songs and artists I respect & admire. The list of the 27 quotes follows the lyrics. Here and there, I changed some of the words to adapt them to my story.

 

There probably is a copyright issue here but it’s quite obvious that if there is, this could actually be an opportunity. I’ve shared a presentation I prepared for this song - I envision a video in which iconic animations of these artists sing their own lyrics.

 

It’s a love song for my wife from two moments in my life when I missed her terribly and an event in which I sang this song for her. It’s a love which spans 33 years filled with vulnerability, partnership, friendship, hope and commitment. 

​

LYRICS

Hello darkness my old friend, just let it be, 

'Cause there's someone in my head, and it's not me.

Don't try too hard to think, don't think at all,

What the hell am I doing here? I wish you were here.

Suddenly I'm not half the man I used to be,

And it's hard to get by just upon a smile. 

Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be.

 

And there ain't a woman that comes close to you,

I wish nothing but the best for you, too.

This could be heaven and my aim is true,

My gift is their songs and this one's for you.

For you, for you, for you, for you. For you, for you, for you, for you.

 

It's been seven hours and fifteen days,

And this loneliness won't leave me alone.

Oooh stand by me, it's just a kiss away.

Cause I'm on your side, oh, when times get rough,

And I'll be there, yes I will, you've got a friend,

And every little thing’s gonna be alright!

Fifteen days, fifteen days, fifteen days, fifteen days. 

 

And there ain't a woman that comes close to you,

I wish nothing but the best for you, too.

This could be heaven and my aim is true,

My gift is their songs and this one's for you.

For you, for you, for you, for you. For you, for you, for you, for you.

 

From this broken hill, I will sing to you,

I'm a dreamer, the little child inside the man.

When you ain't got nothing you got nothing to lose,

And we could be heroes just for one day,

I'm gonna ring the bells that still can ring,

And any day now, we shall be released. 

Sing to you, sing to you, sing to you, sing to you.

 

That there ain't a woman that comes close to you,

I wish nothing but the best for you, too.

This could be heaven and my aim is true,

My gift is their songs and this one's for you.

 

And there ain't a woman that comes close to you,

I wish nothing but the best for you, too.

This could be heaven and my aim is true,

My gift is their songs and this one's for you.

 

And there ain't a man that comes close to you,

I wish nothing but the best for you, too.

This could be heaven and my aim is true,

My gift is their songs and this one's for you.

INTRO: 

This song was born in death. Didi, someone I knew and was friends with, died suddenly at an early age. I used to work with her and her husband, Yoni, for quite a few years and I liked them both - in fact they met because I hired Yoni. But for some reason, we hadn’t really seen each other in about 15 years apart from accidental meetings followed by “let’s meet”.

 

When I heard of Didi’s death, I immediately thought about Yoni, the three children, her parents, her loved ones…But then I thought about my loss of not knowing her more because we each went our separate ways in life.

 

This loss of not being with her while she was alive really got me down because I understood that I had detached myself from many people I had liked but in her case, the detachment was final. Dead twice: the death of our relationship which could have been reborn if I had just invested a bit more and now, her physical and final death. The song is dedicated to Didi but in a way, it is really meant for Yoni and for myself. 

 

During the time that Didi died, a close friend of mine, Dida, was battling cancer and had been given a year to live. While I wrote this song, I thought of Dida as well - the similarity in their names and the fact that they were both too young to die. And she did die. So this song is dedicated to Dida and her husband Oren as well.  It’s a song about sadness but also one of hope: loss can and should be prevented before it is final. The tune was born within 2 days of Didis’s death and  since then hasn’t really changed. The repetition of words began as an accident but then I thought that it was an integral part of this song. 

​

LYRICS

It’s getting late, yeah, it’s getting late,

It’s getting late, yeah, it’s getting late.

 

It's getting late, yeah, late in the night and in my life.

Amends I'll make you for letting us down from so high.

It's all in my mind, I can't stop, stop me from coming here,

It's all in my eyes, I see us like, like we were in those years…can’t stop the tears, yeah. 

 

It’s getting late, yeah, it’s getting late,

It’s getting late, yeah, it’s getting late.

 

Can't seem to fake it, my world is still spinning 'round.

Can't seem to shake it, I'm just sitting here, sitting down.

Light up my way 'cause I don't, I don't know where to go,

Don't know what I really want, yeah, but I want it so… and I gotta let go, yeah.

 

It’s getting late, yeah, it’s getting late,

It’s getting late, yeah, it’s getting late.

 

There's so much waste, yeah, friends I don't see any more.

So then I blame me 'cause I swam, I swam to my shores.

And now Didi’s gone and I’m sing singing her song,

Aching to go back to before things went wrong…I gotta be strong, yeah.

 

It’s getting late, yeah, it’s getting late,

It’s getting late, yeah, it’s getting late.

 

Sometimes I hate it, I hate sticking to this plan.

I just want to wake up, wake up as a superman.

They say that life goes on for those, those who didn’t die,

So why do I feel a little dead although I'm still alive?...I’m still alive, I’m still alive,

And I’m still alive, yeah.  

 

Time for emancipation, gotta focus on love and on good will.

I'm gonna save us, save us from loop-looping downhill.

Most people think that heroes gotta do something great,

I think it’s more heroic to simply embrace your fate…yeah, it’s getting late, yeah. 

 

It’s getting late, yeah, it’s getting late (and it’s alright).

It’s getting late, yeah, it’s getting late (and it’s alright).

It’s getting late, yeah, it’s getting late (and it’s alright).

It’s getting late, yeah, it’s getting late (and it’s gonna be alright / and it’s alright).

It’s getting late, yeah, it’s getting late (and it’s gonna be alright / and it’s alright).

It’s getting late, yeah, it’s getting late (and it’s gonna be alright / and it’s alright).

It’s getting late, yeah, it’s getting…(and it’s gonna be alright / and it’s alright).

(and it’s gonna be alright / and it’s alright).

(and it’s gonna be alright / and it’s alright).

(and it’s gonna be alright / and it’s alright).

(and it’s gonna be alright / and it’s alright).

(and it’s gonna be alright / and it’s alright).

INTRO: 

On October 7th 2023, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel from Gaza and went on a brutal rampage which included kidnapping, killing, executions, raping, torturing, pillaging and dismembering thousands of innocent Israeli civilians. 

 

The terrorists targeted Israeli settlements near Gaza and, by what seems to be a pure fluke, they also raided the Nova trance festival where they killed 364 young festival goers and kidnapped 44 - 14 of them are still (dead or alive) in Gaza today. The survivors of the festival not only lost their friends and loved ones: most were traumatized to the core as the terrorists hunted them down as they hid and ran for their lives.

 

While I personally support the Palestinians’ efforts to establish their country, this was not the acts of “freedom fighters” and the horrific actions of these terrorists on that day will be remembered in infamy forever.

 

This song is dedicated to the victims of the Nova festival and to their friends and loved ones.

 

On October 7th 2024, a memorial service was held for the victims. This song begins there as I tried to get into the heads and hearts of the survivors.

​

LYRICS

The weary white-blue flags stutter,

And a million yellow butterflies flutter,

Yeah, they’re coming alive, in the ever-changing wind.

Our lifeless seeds are buried far away, 

And rains of tears, they hope and pray,

To resurrect life, on the pregnant wind.

 

And it all looks so peaceful now,

And it's so hard to imagine how,

But listen closely, this I vow, 

Yeah, he lives on in the wind.

 

October winds, yeah they tease at my soul,

Freeing heavy thoughts, they lose control,

Yeah, they’re whisked away, by the merciful wind.

I smell your perfume like a fleeting embrace,

A bittersweet moment, that time won’t erase,

Yeah, we’re briefly reunited, in love's wind.

 

And it all looks so peaceful now,

And it's so hard to imagine how,

But listen closely, this I vow, 

Yeah, she lives on in the wind.

 

The wind remembers, it will never forget,

And memories will live until the last sunset,

From that perfect day that we first met,

Yeah, for such precious moments, I’m in the wind’s debt. 

I’m in the wind’s debt. I’m in the wind’s debt. 

 

And it all looks so peaceful now,

And it's so hard to imagine how,

But listen closely, this I vow, 

Yeah, they live on in the wind.

 

Yeah, they live on in the wind (ana-na, na-na-na-na-na-na, ana-na)

Intro:

This is a song about addictions. It seems that we are all addicted to something or other and we return to these addictions which give us satisfaction in the short-run but deep dissatisfaction in the long-run. 

I read a book called “No Bad Parts” which opened a new perspective for me and for addictions: We all have these parts (characters) within us who have been hurt or traumatized in the past and who are trying to soothe us and protect us from being hurt again in the present/future. Unfortunately, these protectors are not always beneficial to us because they are stuck in the past, specifically in the time they were hurt and not in the present. So a part who was hurt, for example, by rejection in the past, can cripple us from putting ourselves out there again in the present.

This means that any addiction (drugs, sex, TV, social media, work, shyness etc…) is not inherently bad but instead is simply a misguided, and perhaps irrelevant, attempt by hurt versions of me in the past to not get hurt again in the present.  

The way to handle addictions, it seems, is to appreciate the hurt protectors within us, to thank them and accept them and then convince them to let go a bit since we are not in the same position as we once were when we were traumatized - we are older and can now deal with these fears in a better way. The tune emerged when I looked in the elevator mirror and sang the opening lines.

​

Hurt-Born Soothers 

I caught myself in the mirror today, who did I see?

A hurt-born soother out to protect me, yeah.

I must have been seven as far as I can see.

Stay in, stay in, lose yourself in their lives,

It's harder to deal with truths than with lies, yeah.

Don't want to feel rejected, not this time. 

 

Oh, protect me, protect me…

From the hurt-born soothers trying to protect me.

Then, release me, oh release me…

I ain’t the man I was when you were me.

 

I caught myself in the mirror today, who did I see?

Another hurt-born soother out to protect me, yeah.

I think it’s me when I was about twenty-three.

Drink up, drink up, you've been sober for too long,

Slip-slide into limbo, get comfortably dumb, yeah.

Stop feeling disconnected, feeling all wrong. 

 

Oh, protect me, protect me…

From the hurt-born soothers trying to protect me.

Then, release me, oh release me…

I ain’t the man I was when you were me.

 

I caught myself in the mirror today, who did I see?

Another hurt-born soother out to protect me, yeah.

It must have been me, when I was thirty-three.

Knock knock, knock knock, that’s her at my hotel door.

For an hour of heaven then back to before, yeah.

Too young to feel so old, yeah and I want more.

 

Oh, protect me, protect me…

From the hurt-born soothers trying to protect me.

Then, release me, oh release me…

I ain’t the man I was when you were me.

 

I caught myself in the mirror today, who did I see?

Another hurt-born soother out to protect me, yeah.

Pretty sure it was me when I was forty-three.

Work on, work on, stuck in my dying career.

Avoid the risks of change, of the unclear, yeah.

Better not try than fail, at least it’s safe here.

 

Oh, protect me, protect me…

From the hurt-born soothers trying to protect me.

Then, release me, oh release me…

I ain’t the man I was when you were me.

Yeah,  embrace me, embrace me…

Trust me to be a better version of me.

 

Yeah, trust me to be a better version of me.

Yeah, trust me to be a better version of me.

Yeah, trust me to be a better version of me.

Intro:

I once asked someone I met in Greece what her tattoo meant: loosely translated it’s “I thank my scars because they remind to never forget who I am”. The meaning behind this was that scars prove and remind her that she is a survivor, not a victim and that they are inseparable from who she is today. She told me a bit about some of her scars and she really did go through a lot.

 

Then I started to think about all the scars that we all have, that I have. Failures in love, rejection, betrayal, violence, failures, losses…all those hurt parts within us who are trying to protect us from getting hurt again. Sometimes they strengthen us and sometimes they weaken us.

 

At the end of the day, our scars are integrated into our lives and in the way we tell our stories. All these scars have made us who we are. All these scars have turned us into victims or into survivors. The path from victim to survivor goes through our ability to forgive the ones who gave us the scars as well as forgiving ourselves and taking responsibility for our actions and feelings in the past, the present and the future and doing what needs to be done to not be a victim of this type again.

 

I hope that this song will support victims to rewrite their narratives as survivors.

​

Scars 

Yeah, I got scars, these deep-deep scars,

From this cute boy I went upstairs,

For a see, then he turned hard, so uglily hard.

He made me his disposable

Fantasy, jerk, I was crying out in shame not ecstasy, yeah, I got scars.

And it’s sad but what's not so sad, 

I now know how to say no, decisively, na, na, na, na, yeah, I got scars.

 

Gotta thank my unlucky scars,

They remind me that I should never
Forget, my unlucky scars, 

Scar-livin' proof, I survived another

Test, my unlucky scars, 

They remind me that I should never
Forget, my unlucky scars, 

Scar-livin' proof, I survived another test.

 

Yeah, I got scars, these deep-deep scars,

From these childhood friends who made me

Feel free, 'til they turned hard, so icily hard.

Until they stopped to even say

Hi to me, I was collateral damage, no apologies, yeah I got scars.

And it’s sad but what's not so sad,

I learned the hard way that im eini li, mi li, na, na, na, na, yeah, I got scars.

 

Gotta thank my unlucky scars,

They remind me that I should never
Forget, my unlucky scars, 

Scar-livin' proof, I survived another

Test, my unlucky scars, 

They remind me that I should never
Forget, my unlucky scars, 

Scar-livin' proof, I survived another test.

 

Hey ho, was a victim, now a survivor (yeah, I got scars).

Intro:

Over the past few years, I have spent many holidays in a small town called Plomari on the island of Lesvos in Greece. Last summer I was there for a month and half and I plan to spend 4-5 months a year there. We will see where these plans will get me.

I came home and immediately returned to my old habits and suddenly, the differences between living in a small Greek town and living in Tel Aviv became more obvious and then I had a song. Suddenly I walk by people and look down not saying yassou…suddenly I stay at home instead of going out to a taverna, watch TV instead of benign with people, smoke weed alone instead of drinking ouzo with friends…suddenly time becomes more urgent and the race for a bourgeois life in Tel Aviv returns and the fears and anxieties return big time. 

I remember a conversation with an Israeli couple I met in a restaurant in Plomari and I went to talk with them. We sat together, chatters, opened up…It was fun. The woman asked me what was the secret of the appeal of the place. I told her that context changes content. If we were in  restaurant in Tel Aviv, I wouldn’t begin chatting with them and they wouldn’t invite me to eat with them. In Greece, it was “normal” and in Israel it wasn’t “normal”. I think that this might be true for any small town vs. big city. 

It’s a song of yearning and hope. I miss the simplicity, the connections with people, the fact that there’s nothing to do so you enjoy being with the friends you are with, whether they are old friends, new friends or people you became friends with after ten minutes.

​

Yassou Plomari

I’m walking my dogs, it’s my first time in six weeks.

I’m back on my chores, where all my old habits meet.

I’m roaming on thoughts, of tavernas, beach, repeat.

It’s 1:30 in the morn, found a park bench just to be.

 

Yassou, yassou, yassou chai,

Yassou, yassou, yassou chai,

Yassou, yassou, yassou chai,

Yassou, yassou, yassou chai,

 

I’m lost in green fog, no more yammasses for me.

What I’ll miss most, my vacation friends and meets.

It won’t be too long, before I return and plant a seed.

I’m singing this song, longing for Plomari’s feel.

 

Yassou, yassou, yassou chai,

Yassou, yassou, yassou chai,

Yassou, yassou, yassou chai,

Yassou, yassou, yassou chai,

 

Yassou, yassou Plomari!

Where time soft-softly melts,

And side roads abound like shells,

Where life is born on the outside,

And strangers look you in the eye.

 

Yassou, yassou, yassou chai,

Yassou, yassou, yassou chai,

Yassou, yassou, yassou chai,

Yassou, yassou, yassou chai,

 

It’s now two o’clock, time for kalinichta and sleep.

I want to go home, back to my loving family.

One day I’ll go to live my life out there in Greece.

And what I’ll miss most, is walking my dogs in Tel Aviv.

 

Yassou, yassou, yassou chai,

Yassou, yassou, yassou chai,

Yassou, yassou, yassou chai,

Yassou, yassou, yassou chai,

Intro:

This song was born a few years ago. My youngest daughter was going through a hard time and we were all suffering. When I told her that I was suffering from what she was going through, she got angry and told me that she didn’t choose to be born and that I should have thought of that when I chose to bring kids to the world. In my case, children were a choice. We adopted two daughters and our third daughter was born after endless treatments. I told her that I did choose to have kids but I never chose for her to develop an eating disorder and that it would hurt her and me so much.

Yes, we make a lot of decisions in life and we should take responsibility for them. But people change over time. Our priorities change. Our situation and surroundings change. Sometimes, life turns us into strangers, so very different from what we expected and then we question the validity of the choices that we made in the past.

Le’t say that we do have a freedom of choice (should write a song about this too). Is a choice I made in the past valid if I don’t rechoose it in the present? But if there is no responsibility for choices then there’s chaos. To only float and not swim. No commitment, nothing to build a future on and relationships which become fluid. 

In our relationships, we tend to believe that we choose love - that’s definitely true when we talk about marriage and children. We chase after love, looking for it incessantly but none of us choose to be hurt by love. 

​

Didn't Choose To Be Hurt By Love

People tellin' me of choices I’ve gotta make 

To be my best version of my future me

Well let me tell you, I always chose love

People reminding me of choices that I did take

Be responsible for past versions of me

Gotta say, didn't choose to be hurt by love

Gotta say, didn't choose to be hurt by love

 

I'm at her door longing for the hug I won’t get 

Still I knock-knock hoping tonight’s the night

Well let me tell you, I chose hard love

I'm at her door heavy in heart and in head

Reliving her hi-by distant good night

Gotta say, didn't choose to be hurt by love

Gotta say, didn't choose to be hurt by love

 

I float to sleep gratefully beside you tonight

Smiling as I dream of you as my queen

Well let me tell you, I chose to dream of love.

I float to sleep thankfully night after night

In my dreams you're nowhere to be seen

Gotta say, didn't choose to be hurt by love

Gotta say, didn't choose to be hurt by love

 

Gotta say, didn't choose to be hurt by love (but I would do it again)

Gotta say, didn't choose to be hurt by love (but I would do it again)

Gotta say, didn't choose to be hurt by love (yeah, I 'd do it again)

Gotta say, didn't choose to be hurt by love (yeah, I'd do it again)

Gotta say, didn't choose to be hurt by love (yeah, again and again)

Gotta say, didn't choose to be hurt by love (yeah, again and again)

Gotta say, didn't choose to be hurt by love (again & again & again)

Gotta say, didn't choose to be hurt by love (again & again & again)

Intro: 

As the political climate in Israel worsened and created a huge rift between Israelis, I began thinking about what it means for brothers to be enemies. This weird story started evolving in which two men who grew up as brothers find themselves separated and although they are enemies, their bonds from the past remain. 

This song is filled with colors. I needed them to escape a black and white world where people believe that they belong to a group which is right and is based on good and the truth while anyone else (or any other group) is wrong and is based on evil and lies. In a world of color, there is always room for a slightly different color.

By the end of this song, the brothers are separated but there’s hope that they will meet again in a world where the black and white barriers cease to exist. 

​

My Brother In Arms

The cold black steely rain clawed into his face.

Not one muscle moved but his mind surely raced.

He looked out to sea searching for his answer,

Then looked down the cliff, searching for another.

Through the pounding rain, I heard him sing

Broken wisps of melody enveloped me like sin

Suddenly he looked straight at my hiding spot

In the freezing rain, his eyes gleamed green hot.

 

An hour or so went by and our status quo prevailed.

Both of us cold and tense and then a horse neighed.

We both looked at the lone pale horse with no rider,

A strange a sight as blue ice immersed in black fire.

I looked back for him but he was already gone,

Neither a trace of him nor of his golden song,

I leaned back into my tree and crookedly smiled.

There'd be hell to pay, there'd be nowhere to hide. 

 

Warm visions of laughter echo from the farm,

Of battles hotly fought with only wit and charm.

Blooming memories which no conflict can harm.

Where are you now, my sunny brother in arms?

 

I woke up stiffly wet to a chilly purplish dawn.

The horse grazed lazily, seemed to be no wrong.

I walked up to his spot and eased my eyes down,

His tale told by the rusting medal on the ground.

I saluted the calming sea dotted with blueish foam,

Then peered down to a growing grey crowd below.

Goodbye dearest enemy wherever you may be,

I'll be kissing you soon and then we'll both be free. 

 

Warm visions of laughter echo from the farm,

Of battles hotly fought with only wit and charm.

Blooming memories which no conflict can harm.

Where are you now, my sunny brother in arms?

Intro:

In theory, we are all dead men walking from the day we are born since death is THE most certain part of our lives. But there’s a difference between the generality of this statement and feeling it. Feeling “dead man walking” is a profound feeling of emptiness, aimlessness, boredom, unworthiness…there is no energy, no vitality, no hope for surprise, no living in the moment, no freedom, no spontaneity, nothing to look forward to, to strive for, to do… It’s the feeling that tomorrow will look exactly like today but not in a good way.

As I grow older, these moments take over more frequently. I repeat the same rituals over and over and over and over and over until it seems that change is impossible. What makes it worse is that the choice to live in the golden cage that is my comfort zone is mine. I’m not imprisoned by someone else, only by myself and from inside my cage, everyone outside seems to be very much alive. 

So why not change? I just have to look up and on the inside of all the bars in my golden cage are inscribed the fears of wandering out that were born from the traumas of life. The open-door cage is not forcing me to stay in - it simply outlines my fears and serves as a make-believe protector from the outer world.

Of course, these feelings don’t last - a conversation, a breeze, a connection, a taste, a song…it’s all it takes to bring me back to feeling alive.

​

Dead Men Walking Blues

Yeah I'm so tired…

Tired of rusting in my golden cage,

Tired of copy-pasting my life away,

Tired of my creepy-crawling age,

Tired of working just for the pay,

Yeah, I’m so tired, I snooze then I lose, 

You know I got dead men walking blues.

 

Yeah, I'm so so tired…

Tired of planning about change,

Tired of waking up just the same,

Tired of trying to hide my pain,

Tired of telling them that I'm OK,

Yeah, I’m so tired, I snooze then I lose, 

You know I got dead men walking blues.

 

Yeah, I'm so goddamn tired…

Tired of looking at others play,

Tired of staying at home all day,

Tired of my indecisions and delays,

Tired of looking back in shame,

Yeah, I’m so tired, I snooze then I lose, 

You know I got dead men walking blues.

 

Yeah, I got dead men walking blues.

Deep and dark dead men walking blues

Yeah, I got dead men walking blues.

Then I sing this song and my life renews.

And then I sing this song and my life renews.

And then I sing this song and my life renews.

Intro:

This is a song about being happy, being in the moment.  As humans, our ability to comprehend the concepts of time allows us, and maybe even forces us, to live in the past and in the future. Without this ability, we could not learn and could not plan and we would still be in caves. But this ability is also a curse. Trees do not relive traumas from the past. Dogs don’t worry about what could happen in a week. We do. We are constantly looking back or ahead, constantly comparing our present to our past and our future. 

And as long as the mind is in the future or in the past, we cannot be truly happy. We can feel good rehashing memories from the past or day-dreaming about a rosy future but we always jolt back to the present which usually pales in comparison to our best memories and plans from the past and the present. No, happiness is in the present when the concept of time ceases to exist.

That’s where mindfulness helps - by focusing on seemingly insignificant things such  as the sound or feel of your breath, the color or shape of a flower, the taste or feel of cool water in your mouth etc…you can access the present and be happy and contented to stay there…to linger for a bit longer since time and schedules evaporate from the mind. 

Happiness is found in small instances in which we gladly linger. 

​

Feels Good To Be Alive

He’s gone for so long and it’s getting longer,

And I remember him only here and there.

Sometimes I wish I’d miss him stronger,

Sometimes forgetting is too hard to bear.

 

Then Father & Son caresses my ears and I feel good from the inside.

Cat’s music bridges the years, it feels good to be alive. 

 

I got the news today, gave me 3 months to go.

It could have been any time but now I know.

I’ll be checking out soon, heading down below.

I wanna stop time but can’t freeze the flow.

 

Then cool breezes tickle my face and I feel good from the inside.

Unaware of time and space, it feels good to be alive. 

 

I’m with strange people in a strange land.

My life’s definitely not what I had planned.

In a corner, two lovers gently holding hands,

While I dream of building castles in the sand.

 

Then sweetened milk caresses my tongue and I feel good  from the inside.

I’m whisked to my youth, yeah it feels good to be alive. 

 

Wanna sleep, randy thoughts fill my head,

Of frolicking fun in my now dead bed.

Oh, so many many things left unsaid,

Oh, so many many times I could have fled.

 

Then her soft touch caresses me and I feel good from the inside,

This is more than enough for me, it feels good to be alive. 

 

Yeah, time stands still from the inside.

And it feels good to be alive.

It feels great to be alive.

It feels wonderful to be alive.

Yeah, just to be alive.

Yeah, it feels good to be alive.

Intro:As I get older, life seems to have become a shadow of what it used to be and as time speeds up, the difference of what was and what is gets larger exponentially. 

Our society has become shallower. Life is lived through screens and brands and human connections and virtues are being sidelined by sound-bites and very narrow versions of truths. Our constant pursuit for happiness through streaming content, glittery brands and fast solutions is making us more unhappy. As choices expand, we spend most of our time racing and chasing things and status instead of dwelling on people around us. The destructive side of technology’s double-edged sword is cutting society and humanity apart by making each of us more dependent on technology instead of on each other. 

That’s why the thought of living on a small island has become so appealing to me. Forget your car, your phone, your computer, your TV - just connect with nature and people. I’m sure that even oceans can’t save us from the destructive forces of technology but life is temporary anyway. One day, I hope not in my life-time or the life-time of my kids, this world is going to get a huge restart - as Einstein predicted, the fourth world war will be fought with sticks and stones. Maybe then, we will be able to get back to what really makes our lives happy - each other.

​
 

 

Shadows

Oh what a shadow of a life,

Hopping from screen to screen to screen,

With less moments of human touch in between,

Real connections buried in dreams.

 

Yeah, life’s become so shallow.

Like fleeting footprints in feathery snow.

Spotting golden eagles while looking at crows.

Yeah, you know it's just shadows.

 

Oh what a shadow of a life,

Hopping from bling to bling to bling,

Chasing Hermes, first class, VIP and ka-ching,

Expecting logos to crown kings. 

 

Yeah, life’s become so shallow.

Like fleeting footprints in feathery snow.

Spotting golden eagles while looking at crows.

Yeah, you know it's just shadows.

 

Oh what a shadow of a life,

Leaders used to lead, now they cling

To their sound-bites, their seats and their strings,

Focused on lying and mud-slings.

 

Yeah, life’s become so shallow.

Like fleeting footprints in feathery snow.

Spotting golden eagles while looking at crows.

Yeah, you know it's just shadows.

Intro:

Much like my song, Moments, this song is about appreciating the moments in life when everything feels good.

Unlike Moments, this song is also about getting there. It's not easy since our mind is trained to look out for danger, to try to get to a better pllace, to pursue happiness etc...while feeling unhappy in the moment.

Mindfulness, being in the moment, seems like such a simple solution and in fact it is - but mindfulness is always momentary since there are always thoughts racing, facts intruding and life goes on while we think mostly about the past and the future.

The key is to have, beyond mindfulness, someone who know will always love and support you because that allows us to believe that the future will be as good as the present.

​

Moments With(out) You

I gotta take myself a moment

To figure out what this all meant

To find my inner peace in the crowds

Such a waste to not own this moment

Chasing dreams and feeling all bent 

Yeah, imagining them laughing out loud

 

So now you think I’m a fool?

Telling me “go back to school”?

Got another thing coming my friend, 

Yeah, got another thing coming.

 

I remember those precious moments

When I quietened all my torments

I could always count on you by my side

Now I miss those fleeting moments,

And everything I have makes no sense

Yeah, it's because you're not around.

 

So now you think I’m a fool?

Telling me “go back to school”?

Got another thing coming my friend, 

Yeah, got another thing coming.

 

Then I get these saddening moments

Missing you, feeling like life's spent

And I’m battering myself to the ground

Now I'm waiting for that final moment

Just after my last breath’s been sent,

Everything’ll be lost and all will be found.

 

Everything will be lost and all will be found.

Everything will be lost and all will be found.

Everything will be lost and all will be found.

Everything will be lost and all will be found.

Intro: 

The threat of Armageddon is growing and since I live in Israel, I feel sometimes like I am in the eye of the hurricane: even if it looks really bad here, the destructive winds surround us and are whirling into a third world war which might go nuclear.

Yes, people have been warning about Armageddon for thousands of years and they have been wrong until now but one day, they might be right. And then…it’s hard to imagine what then. Although we only have one life to live, so much of this life depends on when it occurred in the long history of human life on earth. My life would have been totally different had I been born 200 or 2,000 years ago. I just happened to be born at an age when Armageddon is more than a simple theoretic possibility.

How do you explain Armageddon to your children? How do you explain that they are the end of the line - someone will be at the end of the line when humans, as we know them, will cease to exist.

​

The Last Father

I look out to the desolation,

Of man’s war and devastation,

Unable to gauge the situation,

Like some grey on grey animation,

Never thought in my wildest imagination,

That we’d be the last generation.

 

Goodbye my beloved daughters,

I’m sorrier than I can utter,

That you will never be mothers,

And that I, I’m the last father.

 

Trying to word an explanation,

For this final cruel Armageddon,

No reason left, no justification,

I just nod in silent confirmation,

No more need for translation,

We’ve reached the final separation.

 

Goodbye my beloved daughters,

I’m sorrier than I can utter,

That you will never be mothers,

And that I, I’m the last father.

 

Mankind raced to self-extinction,

Our survival, a fleeting speculation,

Game over, no compensation,

No hope for regeneration,

Mushrooms rise in confirmation,

The end of life, the end of aspiration.

 

Goodbye my beloved daughters,

I’m sorrier than I can utter,

That you will never be mothers,

And that I, I’m the last father.

 

No more life from our foundation,

No more love, no resurrection,

Only deserts and dehydration,

The dying breath of global population,

Armageddon has no discrimination,

No room  left for adaptation.

 

Goodbye my beloved daughters,

I’m sorrier than I can utter,

That you will never be mothers,

And that I, I’m the last father.

 

Goodbye my beloved daughters,

I’m sorrier than I can utter,

That you will never be mothers,

And that I, I’m the last father.