Purim strikes again
Last night "Three musical couples and a bat mitzvah" (including us and our little one drumming) led the band for a musical megillah at Ahavath Achim Synagogue. We've enjoyed backing up the megillah reading with some spiel-y songs for several years running. In case you couldn't catch the lyrics, we've included them below. Enjoy!
If you've already listened to the whole megillah this year, here are the time stamps for the songs - but check out the excellent megillah readings by the bat mitzvah girls (and of course Steve Grossman)!
0:14 - Barchu to Gambler by Kenny Rogers - lead vocals: Rabbi Sam Blustin
0:16 - Ahavat Olam to Love me Tender by Elvis - lead vocal: Mindy Margolis
0:19 - Mi Chamocha to Obla Di by Beatles - lead vocal: Michael Levine
0:23 - Adonai sfatai tiftach to Space Oddity by David Bowie - lead vocal: Andy Margolis
0:26 - Ose Shalom to Sounds of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel
0:30 - Aleynu - lead vocal: Michael Levine
0:57 - Royals - lead vocal: Ma'ayan Rosenthal
1:03 - I Won't Bow Down - (I Won't Back Down by Tom Petty)
1:10 - Under Pressure (Under Pressure by Queen / David Bowie)
1:15 - You should see me in a crown (Billie Eilish) lead vocal: Ma'ayan Rosenthal
1:20 - We Don't Talk about Haman (from Encanto - Lin-Manuel Miranda)
1:30 - White Rabbit (cover by Jefferson Airplane)- lead vocal: Bonnie Levine
1:35 - Won't Bow Down reprise (Tom Petty) lead vocal: Andy Margolis
1:42 - Layehudim by Noam Katz - lead vocal: Rabbi Sam Blustin
1:50 - You should see me in a crown (Billie Eilish) lead vocal: Ma'ayan Rosenthal
2:00 - Shmax Niggun by Eliana Light - (support her forthcoming album here!) lead vocals: Bonnie Levine, Michael Levine, Emet Levine, Mindy Margolis, Rabbi Sam Blustin
Ahavat Olam (to Elvis's "Love me Tender"; adapted by Bonnie Levine 2014)
Love us Ad-nai, our G-d, in sleep and when we rise
For your Torah and mitzvot guide us through our lives
Mi Chamocha (to Beatles' "Obla Di"; adapted by Bonnie Levine 2011)
Pharaoh kept the Israelites in slavery
Moses told him G-d said let us go
Ten plagues later Pharoah finally agreed
And we all sang as we escaped through the Red Sea
Obla di, Obla da, Mi Chamo-cha!
Who is like You Ad-nai?
Ad-nai Sfatai tiftach (English lyrics to David Bowie's Space Oddity; adapted by Bonnie Levine 2023)
Ad-nai sfatai tiftach
ufi yagid tehilatecha
Ad-nai sfatai tiftach
Help me open up my heart
Stepping in now and may G-d's love be with us
This is from our souls to Ad-nai; I do declare Your praise
And the words that we all know we wanna share
Now it's time to breathe and step toward You in prayer
Royals (to Lorde's "Royals" adapted by Bonnie Levine 2023)
It happened in the days of Achashverosh
He made a banquet for the whole of his kingdom
It’s in the capital address
The one called Shushan
It’s a feast to envy
And all the servants like
Gold teeth, Grey Goose, trippin' in the bathroom
Bloodstains, ball gowns, trashin' the hotel;
Vashti don't care,
she’s having ladies night its own scene
But the king was like
Hey there Vashti show us what you got please
If you don’t I’ll banish you from here
Vashti don't care, she ain’t bout to go over there
And we'll never be royals
They are out for our blood
The next edict is for us
And this Vashti stuff is sus
But I’ll be your ruler, you can call me Queen E
And baby I'll rule
Let me live that fantasy
I Won't Bow Down (to Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" adapted by Bonnie Levine 2022)
I will stand my ground
no I won’t bow down
You can build those gallows to hang me from
and I won’t bow down
CHORUS:
(I won’t bow down)
Hey Haman, I ain’t gon kneel and won’t bow
(I won’t bow down)
Hey-man, and I’ll stand my ground
and I won't bow down
Under Pressure (to David Bowie / Queen's "Under Pressure" adapted by Bonnie Levine 2023)
Pressure
Pressure pushing down on me
Since Haman said Jews would be no more
Under pressure - after we didn’t bow
He ordered death to the Jews
Put edicts on the streets
It's the terror of knowing
What this word is about
Hoping a good queen can get me out
Pray Shushan’s king will stand by her
Pressure on people - people on streets
Yai dai dai, biddy ba-da-bum
Oy vey!
We Don't Talk About Haman (to "We Don't Talk about Bruno - Lin-Manuel Miranda from Encanto)
We don’t talk about Haman (BOO!)
We don’t talk about Haman, but!
400 B.C.E. (400 B.C.E.!)
Under King Ahashverosh, and look here he comes, Mordechai (what a wise Jewish guy)
Haman walks in with a mischievous grin (GROGGERRRRRRRRRRRS!!!!)
You telling this story or am I? (I’m sorry, metukah, go on)
Haman says, “Let Jews be slain” (How did he sell it?)
Got inside that bad king’s brain (I’m thinkin did he just yell it?)
Min: Mad that Mordechai abstained (Wouldn’t bow down but anyway)
We don’t talk about Haman, KIDS - BOO BOO BOO (grogger sounds etc.)
We don’t talk about Haman!
V2.
Kids: Oy!
Jews livin in fear of Haman’s evil declaration
Mordechai thinking up ways to save the Jewish nation
They must be incredibly discreet on what we’ve planned
It’s a heavy lift, for a miss named Esther
Goin to the king with a grand request, her
true identity concealed, he wouldn’t understand (Will he understand?)
Spawn of Amalek
A three cornered hat
When we hear his name
We hiss, boo, and clack KIDS: [grogger]
Yeah he plots and schemes
The Jews are the theme and
We don’t talk about Haman, KIDS: BOO BOO BOO (grogger sounds etc.)
We don’t talk about Haman,
On Purim we drink a lot
The next day: (“my head!”- oh no!)
Vibin’ to the Megillah (We must stay til the end
And now we celebrate that we’re still here; he wanted us dead
Our fate not sealed by the proclamation read!
He told the king but since Esther was queen
we had hope that his word wasn’t final
She told the king to set places for three,
she invited them both over wine
(Oy vey will Esther save the day)
She told the king that Haman was obscene and his actions extreme
Destroyin my brothers
And when we hear his name (and when we hear his name)
Hey kids, I want much more sound out of you (Michael: and when we hear his name)
Um, Haman
Yeah, about that Haman
We really need to know about Haman
Read us the whole megillah, on Purim
Come mishpacha, the rabbi’s here!
Time for groggers!
You should see me in a Crown (Billie Eilish)
Bite my tongue bide my time
They put it on a sign
Rid the world of my kind
Mordechai prophesized
Esther the king's new bride
Fell for these ocean eyes
You should see me in a crown
you tried to take my people down
you can't make us bow
Ha-man, your time's done
Ha-man, your time's done
You should see me in a crown
your silence is my favorite sound
you can't make us bow
Ha-man, your time's done
Ha-man, your time's done
