The Man From Vilna chords by Abie Rotenberg

Chords with lyrics

• Capo on 2nd

Tuning: Standard (E MajorE A augmentedA D MajorD G+G BB E MajorE)

Difficulty: Novice

Verse::
 C majorC       FF
I met a man last sunday,
     C majorC        A minorAm
who was on his way back home
    C majorC       FF
From a wedding in Chicago,
     G+G     B minorBm
and was traveling alone
  G+G    Bb majorBb    A minorAm
He said he came from Vilna,
   FF       DmDm
a survivor I could tell
   G minorGm         FF
And I helped him with his suitcase,
     Eb MajorEb      C majorC
he could not walk very well

  C majorC       FF
A augmentedA steward gave us coffee
   C majorC        A minorAm
as we settled on the plane
    C majorC        FF
And I asked him why he bothers,
    G+G     B minorBm
at his age there'd be no blame
   G+G    Bb majorBb     A minorAm
He said "no simcha is a burden,
     FF         DmDm
though I miss my dear late wife"
      G minorGm        FF
And then he shared with me a story
     Eb MajorEb         G minorGm
that has changed my view of life:

Chorus::
      Bb majorBb         G+G
"We danced round and round in circles
      Bb majorBb        C majorC
as if the world had done no wrong
   Bb majorBb      G+G
From evening until morning,
    Bb majorBb        A minorAm
filling up the shul with song
     Bb majorBb       G+G
Though we had no sifrei Torah
  Bb majorBb         C majorC
to clutch close to our hearts
     Bb majorBb         G+G
In their place we held the future
   Bb majorBb      DmDm
of a past so torn apart

Verse::
 C majorC       FF
I remember liberation,
    C majorC        A minorAm
joy and fear both intertwined
     C majorC       FF
Where to go and what to do,
      G+G       B minorBm
and how to leave the pain behind?
  G+G   Bb majorBb     A minorAm
My heart said 'go to vilna',
    FF       DmDm
dare I pray yet once again
     G minorGm       FF
For the chance to find a loved one,
   Eb MajorEb        C majorC
or perhaps a childhood friend?

    C majorC       FF
It took many months to get there,
      C majorC         A minorAm
from the late spring to the fall
    C majorC    FF
And as I, many others,
     G+G      B minorBm
close to four hundred in all
  G+G   Bb majorBb     A minorAm
And slowly there was healing,
     FF          DmDm
darkened souls now mixed with light
   G minorGm       FF
When someone proudly cried out,
  Eb MajorEb        G minorGm
'simchas Torah is tonight!'

Chorus::
      Bb majorBb         G+G
"We danced round and round in circles
      Bb majorBb        C majorC
as if the world had done no wrong
   Bb majorBb      G+G
From evening until morning,
    Bb majorBb        A minorAm
filling up the shul with song
     Bb majorBb       G+G
Though we had no sifrei Torah
  Bb majorBb         C majorC
to clutch close to our hearts
     Bb majorBb         G+G
In their place we held the future
   Bb majorBb      DmDm
of a past so torn apart

Verse::
  C majorC     FF
We ran as one towards the shul,
   C majorC      A minorAm
our spirits in a trance
    C majorC       FF
And we tore apart the barricade,
    G+G       B minorBm
in defiance we would dance
  G+G  Bb majorBb     A minorAm
But the scene before our eyes
 FF       DmDm
shook us to the core
  G minorGm       FF
Scraps of siddur, bullet holes,
 Eb MajorEb        C majorC
bloodstains on the floor

  C majorC     FF
Turning to the eastern wall,
  C majorC      A minorAm
we looked on in despair
    C majorC       FF
There'd be no scrolls to dance with,
  G+G      B minorBm
the holy ark was bare
 G+G  Bb majorBb     A minorAm
Then we heard two children crying,
  FF        DmDm
a boy and girl whom no one knew
    G minorGm       FF
And we realized that no children
    Eb MajorEb        G minorGm
were among us but those two

Chorus::
      Bb majorBb         G+G
"We danced round and round in circles
      Bb majorBb        C majorC
as if the world had done no wrong
   Bb majorBb      G+G
From evening until morning,
    Bb majorBb        A minorAm
filling up the shul with song
     Bb majorBb       G+G
Though we had no sifrei Torah
  Bb majorBb       C majorC
to gather in our arms
     Bb majorBb          G+G
In their place we held those children,
  Bb majorBb          DmDm
the Jewish people would live on

      Bb majorBb         G+G
"We danced round and round in circles
      Bb majorBb        C majorC
as if the world had done no wrong
   Bb majorBb      G+G
From evening until morning,
    Bb majorBb        A minorAm
filling up the shul with song
     Bb majorBb       G+G
Though we had no sifrei Torah
  Bb majorBb        C majorC
to clutch and hold up high
     Bb majorBb          G+G
In their place we held those children,
Bb majorBb     DmDm
am yisrael chai"


      Bb majorBb         G+G
"We danced round and round in circles
      Bb majorBb        C majorC
as if the world had done no wrong
   Bb majorBb      G+G
From evening until morning,
    Bb majorBb        A minorAm
filling up the shul with song
     Bb majorBb       G+G
Though we had no sifrei Torah
  Bb majorBb       C majorC
to gather in our arms
     Bb majorBb          G+G
In their place we held those children,
  Bb majorBb          DmDm
the Jewish people would live on
FF     Eb MajorEb
A minorAm yisrael chai
  Bb majorBb          DmDm
The Jewish people would live on
      A minorAm   FF     Eb MajorEb
The Jewish people WILL live on