Sandy Cash sings "Numbers" by Stuart Kabak

NUMBERS by Stuart Kabak. More music at www.sandycash.com
Arranged and recorded by David Epstein www.shemeshmusic.com
Cello - Cheryl Balshayi

He was running some deliveries
Down in Borough Park
The traffic was a blasphemy
It was late and getting dark
And he had to find a telephone
Call up information
There was no way he'd be on time
To his final destination

A siren pierced 10th Avenue
As a spring gale took my list
So he casually wrote some numbers
On his arm above his wrist
And thinking nothing of it
With appointed rounds complete
He stopped into a diner
To have a bite to eat

Well the matron on the register
Reviewed him with alarm
Her eyes went wide with wonder
She kept staring at his arm
And she called to him in German -- Avrum bist du das?
Avrum -- is that you?
It was only then he noticed
Her numerical tattoo

There are numbers on the telephone
Numbers on a bet
Then there are the numbers
You never can forget

He said -- my name is Stuart,
There must be some mistake
I was born an Anglo Saxon
She said this time Gd gave you a break
Of course you don't remember it was 1942
You were then my only son,
And like me, you were a Jew

They brought us into Dachau
In the middle of the night
Not a word was spoken
As we marched in muted fright
They threw you in a boxcar
With some other boys and men
And despite all prayers and promises
You were never seen again

Well demons never figure
In their frenzy for control
They can sometimes take your body
They can never reach your soul
And the numbers on your arm mein kinde,
As far as I can tell
Are the same you wore when they took you
Now you're back and looking well

There are numbers on the calendar
Numbers to regret
Then there are the numbers
You never can forget

Well he didn't want to argue
For her this was so real
He touched her hand and walked away
Never got his meal
Driving home he mused
At last one could explain
Why he feels a rage inside him
When he sees a child in pain
Why he questions all authority
Why he shuns the beaten path
Why he fears to lose the ones he loves,
Why he always hated math
Why sometimes he is selfish
While longing to be fair
Why the only Hebrew words he knows
Are from the mourners prayer

There are numbers on the calendar numbers on a lock
Numbers on the telephone numbers on a clock
Numbers on a license plate numbers to regret
Then there are the numbers you never can forget
You never can forget

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Sandy Cash
• Stuart Kabak
• Yom Hashoah
• Shoah
• Holocaust
• survivors
• Jewish history
• folk music
• Israel

[choirpower]

Sandy - this is awesome! I have chills.

Tim