Lyrics - Transliteration
(Hassidic folk tune, Lyrics by Abraham Zevi Idelsohn, 1918)
Hava nagila, hava nagila
Hava nagila ve-nis’mecha
Hava neranena, hava neranena
Hava neranena venis’mecha
Uru, uru achim
Uru achim belev same’ach
English Translation - Let us rejoice
Let us rejoice, let us rejoice
Let us rejoice and be glad
Let us sing, let us sing
Let us sing and be glad
Awaken, awaken brethren
Awaken, brethren with a cheerful heart.
Hebrew – הבה נגילה
הבה נגילה
הבה נגילה
הבה נגילה ונשמחה
הבה נרננה
הבה נרננה
הבה נרננה ונשמחה
!עורו, עורו אחים
עורו אחים בלב שמח
!עורו אחים, עורו אחים
בלב שמח
Dance
Formation: Students stand in a circle and hold hands. Optional: Students can hold handkerchiefs between them.
Circle to the right in these 4 beats:
- Left foot steps over (in front of) the right foot.
- Right foot steps to the right of the left foot.
- Left foot steps behind the right foot.
- Right foot steps to the right of the left foot. (source)
See also
- Language: Hebrew
- Subject: singing
- Activity: circle dance
- Harmony: chords i, iv, V
- Meter: 2
- Scale: harmonic minor
YouTube
- PDF of song with chords
- MIDI file
- Listen to the melody
Thanks for posting this! My primary teacher in the 70’s had us singing this and I always assumed he’d made up the lyrics himself! But it was the good old BBC after all…. now I can put that ear worm to bed…..