Lyrics

Jerusalem of Gold

The olive trees that stand in silence upon the hills of time
To hear the voices of the city as bells of evening chime
The shofar sounding from the temple, to call the world to prayer
The shepherd pauses in the valley and peace is everywhere

vir harim zalul kayayin
Ve-rei'ah oranim
Nissa be-ru'ah ha'arbayim
Im kol pa'amonim

U-ve-tardemat ilan va-even
Shvuyah ba-halomah
Ha-ir asher badad yoshevet
U-ve-libbah homah
 CHORUS
Yeru-shalayim shel zahav, forever young, forever old
My heart will sing songs of glory, Jerusalem

Yerushalayim shel zahav
V’shell n’choshet v’shell or
Halo l’chol, shir ayich, a-nee kee-nor

And far away beyond the desert, a thousand suns will glow
We will be going to the Dead Sea by way of Jericho
My simple voice cannot acclaim thee, to weak the words I choose
Jerusalem if I forget thee, may my right hand its cunning lose!

CHORUSJERUSALEM OF GOLD- HEBREW

vir harim zalul kayayin
Ve-rei'ah oranim
Nissa be-ru'ah ha'arbayim
Im kol pa'amonim

U-ve-tardemat ilan va-even
Shvuyah ba-halomah
Ha-ir asher badad yoshevet
U-ve-libbah homah

CHORUS:
Yerushalayim shel zahav Ve-shel nehoshet ve-shel or
Ha-lo le-khol shirayikh Ani kinnor.

Eikhah yavshu borot ha-mayim
Kikkar ha-shuk reikah
Ve-ein poked et Har ha-Bayit
Ba-ir ha-attikah

U-va-me'arot asher ba-selah
Meyallelot ruhot
Ve-ein yored el Yam ha-Melah
Be-derekh Yeriho
CHORUS

Akh be-vo'i ha-yom la-shir lakh
Ve-lakh likshor ketarim
Katonti mi-ze'ir bana'ikh
U-me-aharon ha-meshorerim

Ki shemekh zorev et ha-sefatayim
Ke-neshikat saraf
Im eshkakhekh Yerushalayim
Asher kullah zahav

CHORUS

Hazarnu el borot ha-mayim
La-shuk ve-la-kikkar
Shofar kore be-Har ha-Bayit
Ba-ir ha-attikah

U-va-me'arot asher ba-selah
Alfey shemashot zorhot
Nashuv nered el Yam ha-Melah
Be-derekh Yeriho

EXACT TRANSLATION

The mountain air is clear as wine
And the scent of pines
Is carried on the breeze of twilight
With the sound of bells.

And in the slumber of tree and stone
Captured in her dream
the city that sits solitary
And in its midst is a wall.

CHORUS
Jerusalem of gold,and of bonze,and of light
behold I am a violin for all your songs.

How the cisterns have dried
The market-place is empty
And no one frequents the Temple Mount
In the Old City.
And in the caves in the moutain
Winds are howling
And no one descends to the Dead Sea
By way of Jericho.

CHORUS

But as I come to sing to you today,
And to adorn crowns to you(i.e.to tell your praise)
I am the smallest of the youngest of your children
(i.e.the least worthy of doing so)
And of the last poet(i.e.of all the poets born).
For your name scorches the lips
Like the kiss of a seraph
if I forget thee,Jerusalem
Which is all gold...

CHORUS

We have returned to the cisterns
To the market and to the market-place
A ram's horn(shofar)calls out(i.e.is being heard)on the Temple Mount
In the Old City
And in the caves in the moutain
Thousands of suns shine-
We will once again descend to the Dead Sea
By way of Jericho!