When I was little-little, and went to school in Brooklyn

[conuly]

we sang Hanukkah songs at the concert every winter. And some Christmas and winter songs, of course, but ti's the Hanukkah songs I have trouble with, because two of them seem to be unknown to google.

Maybe I need more Jews to help me out with this one. You may have the insider knowledge, which would be good, because I keep half-hearing them in my head this week and I don't have all the words!

So there was one about a "Hanukkah child", which is just an odd theme to begin with and that's all I recall.

And there was another which seems a lot like the standard "Hanukkah, oh Hanukkah, come light the menorah" song - upbeat verse, slower tempo and minor key chorus - but the specific melody and words were different. "Hanukkah has come once more, celebrate those days of yore...."

This is driving me batty please help omg.

Comments

[hamimi_fk]

I'm not jewish but I did grow up in Williamsburg - my grandparents lived on Roebling in one of the projects there - so I am familiar with some of the jewish songs for the holidays - The dreidel song was a personal fave as a kid. I'm not sure which one you're looking for, but maybe it's one of these? If not, sorry. =(

Wish I could be of more help, I know how frustrating it is to try and remember a song you liked/knew as a kid.

[conuly]

No, none of those, though I have liked the candelikas song since I was introduced to it. It sounds traditional, but it's not.

[siderea]

Sorry, hon, I got bupkis on this.

[conuly]

It was already a long shot. If Jewish sites aren't helpful, I'm not sure Jewish people are any better, but hope does spring eternal.

[siderea]

Honestly, it doesn't sound like a thing Jewish people are so likely to be able to help with – it sounds like the sort of thing predominantly Christian organizations program into their Christmas pagents to make them duly multiculti. Maybe you should be looking for alums from Brooklyn public schools?

Like of all the people in the world who know Aline Shader's "Here in My House" even exists, I estimate about 95% are seacoast-area New Hampshire goyim (bless them).

[conuly]

Hm. I'm 85% certain that my music teacher was Jewish, though. And a significant portion of the (gifted) population of the school was Jewish as well. (Not so sure about the mainstream classes. We were fairly effectively segregated from them.)

But I can try.

[movingfinger]

Vague school chorus memories. Might the second one have been to the tune used for "O Come Emmanuel?"

[conuly]

No, sadly.

[movingfinger]

The first one isn't Hanukkah's Child?

[conuly]

Those words get me nothing on a google search. Do you have a link?

[movingfinger]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VmggNk9q_U

This version, sung by Ariel Rose, was a hit a couple years ago, to the extent that it crowds out almost everything else in search results.

It's still in copyright (by Linda Swears who (according to WorldCat) has done quite a few things for school choirs) but fortunately this sixth-grade choir put them up on the internet. Sheet music is available.


ETA: the best match for the first seems to be Mi Y'malel, which one website drily observes is often translated "with great liberties."

[conuly]

Thank you. That's it, just as sappy as I recall.

[calimac]

There's The Dreidel Song.

[conuly]

For some reason that got stuck in my head when Eva was a baby (wrong holiday - she was born just after Yom Kippur) and I spent months, literally months singing "Baby, baby, baby, I made you out of clay" when I babysat. (And "We have joy, we have fun, we have babies in the sun".)

Also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-Wbkelvzkw

[hamsterwoman]

"Baby, baby, baby, I made you out of clay"

LOL!

Sorry, no help at all with the Hanukkah songs (though I'm glad someone above found the first one for you), but I feel your pain -- L's third grade teacher was from Hawaii, and she taught the class a Hawaiian Christmas song (no, not the one everyone knows (here in California, anyway - "Mele Kalikimaka" -- a different one), and I've spent years trying to find some trace of it on the internet to prove to myself I hadn't imagined it. (I did eventually find it, Island Stylin' Christmas.)

[conuly]

It's so frustrating when you think everything should be on the internet and something or other isn't.

[giandujakiss]

Sorry if this has been mentioned but I think the second one is:

http://www.songsforteaching.com/chanukah/hanukkahohhanukkah.php

[conuly]

No, that's the one everyone knows. I'm thinking of the one nobody knows. As I said, it is musically like that one, but the words and the specific tune are different. Less hora and dreidels, more Macabees.

[adrian_turtle]

I know of a song with "days of yore" that has an upbeat first verse and a slow second verse in a minor key. It's nothing like the "Come light the menorah" songs, though, and I'd be surprised to hear it in a public school. Nevertheless...

Who can retell the things that befell us?
Who can count them?
In every age
A hero or sage
Came to our aid

Listen!
At this time of year in days of yore
Maccabees the Temple did restore
And someday our people as we've dreamed
Will arise, unite, and be redeemed.

(Repeat first verse in English, or in Hebrew:
Mi yimalael...)

[conuly]

Only if we're listening to a very different translation. I should pull it up on YouTube.

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

I don't know that one, but there's a Hannukah song I heard once, that 'counts down' kind of like The 12 Days of Christmas, and has the line "One for Judah Maccabee" (or three, or whatever) - never been able to find it again.

[dandelion.livejournal.com]

I am nooo use whatsoever for this myself, but you could try tipofmytongue on reddit - they're brilliant at finding songs from little snippets you remember.

[conuly]

There's an idea, thanks.