In Memory of Moshe Yess

1945-Jan 8, 2011

“My Zeide”

Composed by Moshe Yess

My Zeide lived with us in my parents’ home
He used to laugh, he put me on his knee
He spoke about his life in Poland
He spoke but with a bitter memory
He spoke about the soldiers who would beat him
They laughed at him they tore his long black coat
He spoke about a synagogue that they burnt down
And the crying that was heard beneath the smoke

CHORUS
But Zeide made us laugh, and Zeide made us sing
And Zeide made a kiddush Friday night
And Zeide , O my Zeide how I love him so
And Zeide used to teach me wrong from right

His eyes lit up when he would teach me Torah
He taught me every line so carefully
He spoke about our slavery in Egypt
And how God took us out to make us free
But winter went by, summer came along
I went to camp, to run and play
And when I came back home they said “Zeide’s gone”
And all his books were packed and stored away

I don’t know why and how it came to be
It happened slowly over many years
We just stopped being Jewish like my Zeide was
And no one cared enough to shed a tear

CHORUS
But Zeide made us laugh, and Zeide made us sing
And Zeide made us Seder, Pesach night
And Zeide , O my Zeide how I love him so
And Zeide used to teach me wrong from right

Many winters went by, Many summers came along
And now my children sit in front of me
And who will be the Zaide of my children
Who will be their Zeide if not me

Who will be the Zeides of our children
Who will be their Zeides if not we

(Lyrics by zemerl.com)