Like many of the songs recorded for the Central Jewish Historical Commission in Munich in 1946, there is no mention of the performer, either in the recording or in the accompanying material.
According to the singer’s voice, which is heard in several other songs in this recording, the song is from the Kovno ghetto. The song, which is probably not complete, does not mention historical details such as names of places, people or local terms.
The song describes the poor living conditions in the ghetto: the hunger, slave labor, and the favoritism policies. It describes the fear of the “Yaalos” (a nickname for the Nazis, from the expression “Yaaleh Veyavo” – Arise and Come) who could ambush the Jews anywhere. The song comments, in positive terms and humor, on life in the ghetto: “What else do I need? I’ve got everything. I’ve brought my poverty, my wife, my child, my belonging and even my lover to the ghetto.” In the final verses the singer says: “Good days will come, don’t despair, don’t worry, things will get brighter and life will return to be good and calm.”