The Man From Vilna chords by Abie Rotenberg

• Capo on 2nd

Tuning: Standard (E A D G B E)

Difficulty: Novice

Verse::
  C              F
I met a man last sunday,
         C               Am
who was on his way back home
       C             F
From a wedding in Chicago,
          G          Bm
and was traveling alone
   G       Bb        Am
He said he came from Vilna,
      F             Dm
a survivor I could tell
      Gm                  F
And I helped him with his suitcase,
          Eb            C
he could not walk very well

   C              F
A steward gave us coffee
      C               Am
as we settled on the plane
       C               F
And I asked him why he bothers,
        G          Bm
at his age there'd be no blame
     G       Bb         Am
He said "no simcha is a burden,
         F                 Dm
though I miss my dear late wife"
            Gm               F
And then he shared with me a story
         Eb                 Gm
that has changed my view of life:

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

Verse::
  C              F
I remember liberation,
        C               Am
joy and fear both intertwined
          C             F
Where to go and what to do,
            G             Bm
and how to leave the pain behind?
   G      Bb         Am
My heart said 'go to vilna',
       F             Dm
dare I pray yet once again
         Gm              F
For the chance to find a loved one,
      Eb               C
or perhaps a childhood friend?

        C              F
It took many months to get there,
           C                 Am
from the late spring to the fall
       C       F
And as I, many others,
          G           Bm
close to four hundred in all
    G      Bb         Am
And slowly there was healing,
          F                    Dm
darkened souls now mixed with light
     Gm              F
When someone proudly cried out,
    Eb               Gm
'simchas Torah is tonight!'

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

Verse::
   C          F
We ran as one towards the shul,
      C           Am
our spirits in a trance
       C              F
And we tore apart the barricade,
        G             Bm
in defiance we would dance
    G    Bb          Am
But the scene before our eyes
 F              Dm
shook us to the core
   Gm              F
Scraps of siddur, bullet holes,
 Eb                C
bloodstains on the floor


    C          F
Turning to the eastern wall,
   C            Am
we looked on in despair
        C             F
There'd be no scrolls to dance with,
    G            Bm
the holy ark was bare
 G    Bb          Am
Then we heard two children crying,
   F                Dm
a boy and girl whom no one knew
        Gm              F
And we realized that no children
       Eb               Gm
were among us but those two

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

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


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