The Idan Raichel Project: "If You Go ..."

This song from Idan Raichel's landmark 2002 album offers a haunting fusion of Israeli Popular and ethnic Ethiopian folk music.

If you Go
Free translation by Noam Rotem

If you go, who will hug me like this,
who will listen to me at the end of a day,
who will calm and comfort me,
only you know how

And if you go, who will I wait for from the windowsill, in a holiday skirt, so that when he arrives, he'll hug me like you do when you arrive

When you go, I will go out unto the sun, to the gilded field, morning and night, a moon will illuminate my face, that dreams, all day, only of you

And when you arrive, you'll lift me up and carry me in both your hands, from the field to the river, you'll wash my face and speak words unto me, that only you know how

About Idan Raichel Project
From the Idan Raichel Project on MySpace

While recent headlines are dominated by news of conflict and war in the Middle East, an Israeli musical collaborative has achieved success by looking beyond intercultural differences and celebrating the value of diversity. Infusing a blend of traditional Ethiopian folk music, Arabic poetry, Yemenite chants, Biblical psalms and Caribbean rhythms, ...

NPR worte in 2005: Israeli Musicians Find Unity in Cultural Fusion
by Derek Rath
"Day to Day, December 6, 2006 · The Israeli group, the Idan Raichel Project, blends the music of the country's rich immigrant community with the traditional sounds of the nation. The unique mixture of Ethiopian, Arab and native Israeli music has made them stars in Israel, and paved the way for their American debut. "

אם תלך

מילים: עידן רייכל
לחן: עידן רייכל

אם תלך מי יחבק אותי ככה
מי ישמע אותי בסוף היום
מי ינחם וירגיע
רק אתה יודע

ואם תלך למי אחכה בחלון בשמלה של חג
שיגיע, יחבק אותי ככה, כמו שאתה מגיע

כשתלך לשמש אצא, בשדה המוזהב, בוקר וערב,
ירח יאיר את פני שחולמות כל היום רק עליך

וכשתבוא תישא אותי בשתי ידיך, משדה לנהר,
תרחוץ את פני ותגיד לי מילים
כמו שרק אתה יודע