Rotenberg grew up in Queens, New York surrounded by other up and coming religious Jewish musicians, including Eli Teitelbaum, who directed the first Pirchei boys choir, as well as Rabbi Baruch Chait and Leibel Scharfman who attended yeshiva with him. Rotenberg studied piano and taught himself guitar at a young age.
Teardrop
Abie Rotenberg Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A story of magic unfolds
There lived an old widow without any children
Abandoned, forgotten, alone
And she lived with the memories of barbed wire fences
The darkness invading her dreams
Oh if ever a woman had a reason to cry
But never did she shed a tear
She asked for no answers, had nothing to fear
Gods love is but hidden, in time we'll know why
But today there's no reason, no reason to cry.
Well it happened one Friday there just was no money
Her table bare, covered in white
But she found a few pennies and bought a small candle
Her Shabbos would still have its light
And she lit the lone candle, recited the bracha
The deepest of joys in her heart
When a gust of wind blew through a crack in the window
The flame once so bright had gone dark
This time the pain was so great
She tried to hold back but it was too late
"Where has my faith gone", she said with a sigh
As a small teardrop formed on the edge of her eye
It rolled down her cheek, heading straight for the candle
As if with a mind of its own
Touching the wick, the drop burst out in flames
Once more there was light in her home
No more could she hold back the tears
She cried out the sorrow of so many years
God's love is but hidden, in time we'll know why
But the heavens had told her its all right to cry
The lyrics of Abie Rotenberg's "Teardrop" tell the story of an old widow living alone in a one room apartment somewhere in the city. This woman has known great hardship in her life and carries the weight of barbed wire fences and darkness invading her dreams. However, despite her tremendous pain and suffering, this woman has never shed a tear. She has asked for no answers and had nothing to fear, believing that God's love is but hidden and that someday we will understand why. But all of that changes one Shabbos evening when the woman lights a small candle, only to have it blown out by the wind. The pain of this loss is so great that this woman can no longer hold back her tears, and she cries out the sorrow of so many years. However, it is in this moment of vulnerability that the miraculous happens. A small tear falls from her eye and lands on the wick of the snuffed out candle, reigniting the flame and bringing light to her home once more. From this experience, the woman learns that it is okay to cry, and that even in the midst of darkness, there is always hope.
Line by Line Meaning
In a one room apartment, somewhere in the city
The story takes place in a small apartment in the city.
A story of magic unfolds
This is a story of a magical event happening.
There lived an old widow without any children
The main character is an elderly woman who has no children.
Abandoned, forgotten, alone
She is abandoned and forgotten, living alone.
And she lived with the memories of barbed wire fences
She has bad memories of barbed wire fences.
The darkness invading her dreams
The darkness haunts her dreams.
Oh if ever a woman had a reason to cry
She has more reason to cry than most women.
Then surely the woman was she
She is the woman who has reason to cry.
But never did she shed a tear
Despite her sadness, she never cried.
She asked for no answers, had nothing to fear
She didn't ask for answers and was not fearful.
Gods love is but hidden, in time we'll know why
God's love is hidden, and one day we will understand why.
But today there's no reason, no reason to cry.
Today, she has no particular reason to cry.
Well it happened one Friday there just was no money
On a particular Friday, she had no money.
Her table bare, covered in white
Her table was bare, covered in a white cloth.
But she found a few pennies and bought a small candle
She found a few coins and bought a small candle.
Her Shabbos would still have its light
She could still light her candle on Shabbos.
And she lit the lone candle, recited the bracha
She lit the candle and prayed over it.
The deepest of joys in her heart
She felt deep joy in her heart.
When a gust of wind blew through a crack in the window
A gust of wind came through a crack in the window.
The flame once so bright had gone dark
The flame of her candle had gone out.
This time the pain was so great
This time, her pain was intense.
She tried to hold back but it was too late
She tried to hold back her tears but it was too late.
"Where has my faith gone", she said with a sigh
She questioned where her faith had gone.
As a small teardrop formed on the edge of her eye
She began to cry a small tear.
It rolled down her cheek, heading straight for the candle
The tear rolled down her cheek, towards the candle.
As if with a mind of its own
The tear seemed to have a will of its own.
Touching the wick, the drop burst out in flames
The tear touched the wick and set it on fire.
Once more there was light in her home
The candle was relit, and there was light in her home again.
No more could she hold back the tears
She could no longer hold back her tears.
She cried out the sorrow of so many years
She cried out all the sadness she had been carrying for years.
But the heavens had told her its all right to cry
God had given her permission to cry.
Contributed by Anthony N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Mayer
on Joe Dimaggio's Card
The singer and his best friend Sammy grew up together in New York City.
The singer reflects on how quickly time seems to have passed since he and Sammy were young.
The singer and Sammy were extremely close, almost like brothers.
The singer and Sammy were best friends.
The singer and Sammy enjoyed playing together by the oak tree behind the singer's house.
The two friends would play catch back and forth with a ball.
Both the singer and Sammy would dream about becoming like...
...the baseball legend Joe DiMaggio.
The singer and Sammy both bought a pack of baseball cards from the brand Topp's.
They opened the packs of cards together while sitting under the oak tree.
The singer was excited to have gotten Joe DiMaggio's card and showed it off to Sammy.
Sammy was envious of the singer for having gotten such a great card.
The singer put the card away as a treasured possession in a drawer.
The singer wanted to keep the card safe from harm or being lost.
The singer swore to himself that he would keep the card always.
The card was very valuable and meaningful to the singer.
The singer and Sammy grew older and went off to study at a Yeshiva.
From the beginning, the two friends drifted apart and his friend, Sammy was excelling in his studies.
The singer enjoyed daydreaming more than studying, while Sammy was focused on his studies.
The two friends grew more distant over time.
The singer watched Sammy progress in his religious studies and become more devout.
The singer felt both proud and envious of Sammy's progress.
The singer came to accept that he and Sammy would never be as close as they once were.
Even though they had grown apart, the singer still thought of Sammy as his best friend.
Years went by, and the singer became a parent himself.
The singer's children played outside in the yard.
Thinking of his children playing together reminded the singer of his own childhood friendship with Sammy.
The memory included the prized possession of his Joe DiMaggio baseball card.
People interested in the card started coming to the singer's door.
People even sent letters offering to buy the card.
Some collectors offered to pay the singer a great deal of money for the rare, one-of-a-kind card.
The singer always refused to sell the card, no matter the price offered.
The singer was very firm in his decision not to sell the card.
Over the years, the singer read news stories about his old friend Sammy.
The stories covered various events in Sammy's life.
Sammy became the head of their old school as its Rosh Yeshiva. Now known as Shmuel.
Sammy/Shmuel had become an important leader in his community.
The school where Sammy was the Rosh Yeshiva suffered a damaging fire.
The singer worried that the fire would be especially difficult for Sammy to deal with.
In an effort to help Sammy and let go of the past, the singer decided to part with his prized Joe DiMaggio baseball card and sell it to help out his old friend.
The singer had to say goodbye to the card that had been so important to him for so many years.
Years later, the singer's grandson came home from Yeshiva with a card to give to his grandfather.
The grandson brought a new card that he wanted to give to his grandfather.
The grandson explained that the card belonged to a very important person named Reb Shmuel, who was one of the Gedolim. (His old friend)
The grandson was giving the card to his grandfather as a gift.
The grandfather put his new gift card away in a drawer, just as he had done with his Joe DiMaggio card years before.
The grandfather wanted to keep the card safe and protected.
Just like with the Joe DiMaggio card, the grandfather promised to keep the new card always.
The new card was more valuable and meaningful to the grandfather than his old Joe DiMaggio card had been.
Mayer
on Joe Dimaggio's Card
"Joe Dimaggio's Card" is a poignant and nostalgic song by Abie Rotenberg that explores themes of friendship, time, and the value of material possessions. The narrator and his best friend Sammy grew up together in New York City, playing and dreaming of baseball greatness under a tree in the backyard. One day they each bought a package of Topp's baseball cards and the narrator received the coveted Joe Dimaggio card, causing envy in Sammy. The narrator hides the card away, knowing it's too valuable to trade or lose, and vows to hold onto it forever.
As they grow older, the two friends part ways as the narrator becomes more interested in daydreaming than studying. Years pass and the narrator starts a family, but the value of the Joe Dimaggio card only increases. Collectors offer to buy it for a fortune, but the narrator refuses to sell. He keeps it locked away in a drawer, a reminder of the precious memories of his friendship with Sammy and simpler times.
When tragedy strikes Sammy's (now known as Shmuel) Yeshiva, now run by his old friend Sammy (Shmuel) as Rosh Yeshiva, the narrator decides to sell the card to help out his old friend's Yeshiva. Then one day, his grandson brings him a card of a different kind, of a Gadol, a spiritual leader, of Reb Shmuel (his friend Sammy from his past). T⁸hat card he will now keep forever.
The song's themes of nostalgia, friendship, and shifting priorities are relatable and the metaphor of the baseball card serves to amplify the narrative's sense of sentimentality. The poignant storytelling and melody make "Joe Dimaggio's Card" a timeless classic.