We hear tons of parodies of Christmas songs, some in good taste and some not… However, not very many GOOD Chanukah songs come along. I’m forwarding this one sent to me by my Mom. Wish I’d written it…
Chanukablanca.
“Play it again, Sam” - H. Bogart, Casablanca
by Joe Hample (sung to the tune of “As Time Goes By”
from “Casablanca”)
You must remember this,
A bris is still a bris,
A chai is just a chai.
Pastrami still belongs on rye,
As time goes by.
With holidays in view,
A Jew is still a Jew,
On that you can rely.
No matter if we eat tofu
As time goes by.
Old shtetl customs, never out of date.
All those potatoes someone has to grate.
One flame in the window,
keep counting till there’s eight
To light the winter sky.
In the Bronx or in the Mission,
It’s still the same tradition,
That no one can deny.
We roam, but we recall our birthright,
As time goes by.
Dreidels and chocolate, never out of date.
Ancient Semitic glories to relate.
Blue-and-white giftwrap, ain’t this country great,
And festive chazerai!
It’s still the same old Torah,
It’s still the same menorah,
We’ve latkes still to fry.
December’s when I feel most Jewish,
As time goes by.
Happy Chanukah (or, as we say, Feast of Dedication).
Then all the people fell upon their faces, worshipping and
praising the God of heaven, who had given them good
success. And so they kept the dedication of the altar eight
days and offered burnt offerings with gladness, and sacrificed
the sacrifice of deliverance and praise. They decked also the
forefront of the temple with crowns of gold, and with shields;
and the gates and the chambers they renewed, and hanged
doors upon them. — I Macc. 4:55-57 (King James Version)
