Song Lyric Poetry

Students in Mrs. Herman’s 10th grade writing classes were asked to respond to the lyrics of a song with an essay, poetry, or artistic reduction. Editors at Eye of the Storm chose to feature the following poetry by Jacob Katz (2020). His poems, and reflection on his artistic process, are in response to the song “Daddy Come Home,” composed and arranged by Eli Gertsner for the Yeshiva Boys Choir. The original lyrics follow Jacob’s reflection.

Never Ending Hope

My Daddy's been gone,

Gone for so long.

Yet I have remained strong.

As each day slowly crawls along.

“Daddy come home,” I beg through the phone,

I live in fear of of Mommy's anxious tone.

I’m desperately in need a comforting face,

I’m exhausted from living in such a hostile place.

With you gone, I experience an uncertain fate,

I wait impatiently as you defend us against People of Hate.

By the candlelight dwindling here I wait,

Craving your arrival on a yet undetermined date.

Knocking on the door appears in my dreams,

Heart beating, I wonder Who's that I hear?

Alas, not my Father, the person I hold dear,

My dreams are delayed for another year.

The hope in my heart is sinking like sand,

Putting on hold all the activities I have planned.

I can’t wait until the day you let me hold your hand,

And you can tell me stories of how you took a stand.

The Past Becomes the Here and Now

We were torn from our homes on that fateful day,

Filled with terror and dismay.

All I could think was I need to pray,

As the life I had once known was stripped away.

With an arrogant display of evil and might,

They demanded we march through the night.

A mass of humanity, a heartbreaking sight,

Thousands filled with chilling fright.

Then the time came to take the test,

When the Nazis chose who would turn right and left,

A flicker of a finger at people in distress,

Dictating who would be safe or take their final “rest”.

Daddy...Stay with me...It’s scary here”,

Cried my son as he was torn with dragging feet.

I begged and cried, trying to change our fate,

But I quickly realized it’s too late.

With a tortured heart I wondered Where has he gone?

I asked myself, How will I carry on?

I begged of Hashem Please hear my plea!

Without my son, How can I be?

Now, as night falls,

When the Chanukah candles burn,

I am mesmerized by their flames,

And my memories return.

As my mind sits in the past, he’s on his knees.

With his delicate arms he’s holding me,

His eyes aglow, my son whispers to me,

Home at last, For all eternity!

Reflection

My two poems, "Never Ending Hope" and "The Past Becomes the Here and Now,"

depict two of life’s most basic emotional urges, hope and reunion. They both also convey the sadness at being torn from a loved one during war, and the panic and despair at not knowing when and if that person will ever be seen again.

In “Neverending Hope”, a young boy tells of being separated from his beloved parent as his father leaves to serve time in the army during wartime. He speaks of a longing to have his father come home, so they can talk together again as they hold hands. There are lines where the boy hints at his concern that his father may be killed and never return to him to share those sweet moments again: “The hope in my heart is sinking like sand.”

In the second poem, The Past Becomes The Here and Now, the same theme is presented, but in this case, it is a parent lamenting the loss of his son. He describes being separated from his son during the Holocaust and keeping him alive in his heart: “As my mind sits in the past…he’s holding me”. He imagines holding his young son on his lap, much like an imaginary friend, and they hold hands as his son promises to stay with him forever, “Home at last, For all eternity!”

A powerful moment is when the reader realizes that the father has preserved his son at the very age that he lost him in the selection lines. This scene was intended to convey the realities that families experienced when they were ripped apart in WWII. They lived in hope that they would find each other again in the future, and it was that hope that often kept them alive through their bleak and hellish experiences. Even if their families never made it out alive, Holocaust survivors kept them alive in their minds.

The lyrics I wrote are meaningful to me. They contain themes of uncertainty and hope, which to which any reader should be able to relate, since these are the natural consequences of being alive. The idea of not being able to control your future and destiny can be felt everyday, as you never know if something tragic, or wonderfu,l may happen - yet we remain hopeful.

My artistic process involved a number of steps. In the beginning, I compiled a list of meaningful and emotional songs, which anyone could relate to. From this list, I picked Daddy Come Home. Next, as inspiration, I picked someone who I am close with who had a turbulent past. The person I chose was my neighbor who himself survived the Holocaust as a teenager. Then, I turned his story of survival and uncertainty into poems.

Lyrics to “Daddy Come Home”

Daddy's been gone

Gone for so long

For him I pray

He joined the Corps

Fighting a war

Somewhere far away

He promised me he'd return

When the Chanukah candles burn

So here I wait

The blessings I recite

By the candle-light

But it's getting late

Daddy come home

Stay with me

Let me hold your hand

Let me sit upon your knee

I see fear

In Mommy's eyes

Every time she cries

And tries to comfort me

It's scary here at home

My mind begins to roam

Have I lost you?

I hear the phone

Mommy's mournful moan

It can't be true!

Where has he gone?

How will I carry on?

Tell me what can I say?

I need to pray...

...Please hear my plea

Send my Daddy home to...

...Who's that I hear

Calling my name

I run into his arms

Yes, my Daddy came

Home to me

He's on his knees

Now he's holding me

For all eternity

Now, as night falls

We stand tall

Eight candles burning bright

And they're lighting up the night

Home at last

Eyes aglow

I hug my Daddy tight

And I'm not letting go!