Lyrics: Anonymous, recorded by Y. Merzon, Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, 1945.

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Music: Based on the song “Bin ikh mir a Shayderl” [I am a Little Tailor], by Zelig Berdichever (1903 – 1937) with instrumental parts and arrangement by Sergei Erdenko.

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The song compares Hitler with other (failed) enemies of the Jewish people, such

as Haman, the biblical figure described in the book of Esther, who plotted to

kill all of the Jews in ancient Persia, Antiochus IV Epiphanes (born c. 215 BC -

died 164 BC), known for his persecution of ancient Jews, a tale that is recounted

during the Jewish holiday of Chanukah, Tomas of Torquemada (1420 – 1498),

the head of Spanish Inquisition, and Pavel Krushevan (1860 – 1909), the

alleged author of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. The song relies on imagery

of Purim, a Jewish holiday that celebrates the ultimate and miraculous victory

over a king who plotted to destroy the Jews. Importantly, the song lists the

atrocities committed against Jewish people, and promises cruel revenge.

The last line of the song “Am Yisroel Hai” - “Let the People of Israel Live” - was

originally added by Psoy, as the publisher-ready version that we used did not

have it. We noticed that one final line that would rhyme with “say vi say”

seemed to be missing. To our delight, when we later discovered the field version

of the song, it turned out that “Am Yisroel Hai” was originally there, and was

taken out by editors, probably due to censorship demands. In effect, we did

not simply add the line to fix the verse, but de-facto restored the original song.