English Lyrics

Mir shteyen bay di vent
Mit hertzer mit farklemte
Mit aropgelozte hent,
Vi bay a veynendiker verbe.
Es kukn oygn shtark
Un zinken ayn tif in der vatkayt
Un s'blaybst in zey der tzaar /Es fargeyt azey di tsayt/
Di eybikayt...

Shver tzu zen di velt durkh enge moern
Di shayn hobn farshtelt /dos glik hot undz farshtelt/
Di geto - toern
Farmakhst di oygn nor, /makh di eygn tsu/
Dan zestu altz vi in a kholem
S'dershaynt vi oyfn der vor /es fargeyt azey di tsayt/
Di groyse velt /di traye velt/

Geto, dikh fargesn vel ikh ken mol nit
Ekho - iz dayn hartzik troerik lid /ekho - du mayn khartsike mayn
traye lid/
Kh'ze do dayne trern /ze dokh mayne trern/
Dayne umet, dayn payn /mayn yomer mayn payn/
K'her do dayn gebet: /her oys mayn gebet/
Vos vet zayn? Vos vet zayn?

In dayne geto - geslekh iz mir eng /in dayne geslekh iz mir azey eng/
Dos hartz azoy batribt /mayn harts azey farklemt/
un hotsch kh'farshtey,
S'tut vey -
Dokh iz mir azoy lib
Geto!
Dikh fargesn vel ikh keyn mol nit...

Azey hot gezungen Tova Ben-Zvi /Lider fun Ghetto Lodz/

Translation

We stand by the wall,
with our hearts cramped up,
and our hand listless at our side
like a weeping willow tree.

Eyes stare,
and sink deep in the distance;
it remains in them the scar
of endlessness...

And it's hard to see the world through narrow walls
the stones have closed
the ghetto doors.
But just close your eyes
and you can see everything as if in a dream,
it appears before you:
the great wide world.

Ghetto! I will never forget you, never
An echo is your heartful, sad song..
I see, there, your tears
your sorrow your pain,
and I hear your lamentation:
"what will happen, what will be?"
Your narrow ghetto streets cramp me,
and my heart is driven away
but nevertheless, though it hurts,
you are still dear to me...
Ghetto,
I will never forget you, never.