English Lyrics

Oh when I was a boy
My one and only joy was pretending
I was living in the past.
So to get my little thrills
I'd storm down from the hills
A wooden sword held tightly in my grasp.

CHORUS

Oh Judah Macabee
How was I to see what you would mean to me?
No Syrian decree
Could make you bend your knee
Not Judah Macabee.

Ah, my friends all thought me strange
And sometimes would exchange a worried look
Or word behind my back.
No they couldn't understand
The Romans were at hand
And they were getting ready to attack.

CHORUS

Oh Judah Macabee
How was I to see what you would mean to me?
No Roman cavalry
Could make you bend your knee
Not Judah Macabee.

In the Polish underground
I never made a sound while running through
The forest late at night.
Just like Mattathias' sons
I knew the time would come
When I would need my courage to survive.

CHORUS

Oh Judah Macabee
How was I to see what you would mean to me?
No German infantry
Could make you bend your knee
Not Judah Macabee.

Translation