L'hitraot (Written for Tal Dayagi)
It's just me and my guitar. Sometimes, friends help.
My name is Danny and I make music.
Story behind the song
My dear friend, Tal Dayagi, won my songwriting skills at an AIDS Walk charity auction. She had me write this song about her friend Danielle, who was killed by a terrorist attack when she was five years old. This proved to be one of the hardest songs I've ever tried to write because I had to put myself in Tal's mindset, which was difficult, as I've never experienced that kind of loss.
The title of the song comes from a speech my friend Adam Devor gave his campers this summer, about how they shouldn't say "goodbye", they should say "l'hitraot" because it's meaning is closer to "until we see each other again."
Lyrics
Think about your face when I read the Kaddish
I can't forget the way you smile
I can't forget what they did to your body
You were too young to be broken and pale
I feel so old but you are small always
I guess memories never age
There's no need to cry
Say "L'hitraot" and not "Goodbye"
Save me, Adonai
And I'll say "L'hitraot" and not "Goodbye"
Only think of you when I read news about others
Every morning in Ma'ariv
Wish you were home tucked under your covers
Safe away from everything
And I wish for just one kiss to place upon your cheeks
Come into your room as you soundly sleep
And I know I'll never stop this flow of memories
Knowing that you'll never be back with me
There's no need to cry
Say "L'hitraot" and not "Goodbye"
Save me, Adonai
And I'll say "L'hitraot" and not "Goodbye"
