Esther Ofarim (Hebrew: אסתר עופרים‎, born Esther Zaied, 13 June 1941 in Saf… Read Full Bio ↴Esther Ofarim (Hebrew: אסתר עופרים‎, born Esther Zaied, 13 June 1941 in Safed) is an Israeli female vocalist.

She met Abi Ofarim, a guitarist and dancer, in 1959 and subsequently married him. With her husband and without him she began to sing Hebrew and international folk songs.

In 1960 Esther got a small role in the film Exodus. In 1961 Esther won the Song Festival in Tel Aviv, where she sang "Saeni imcha bemachol" and "Neama". Two years later, Esther made the 2nd place at the Eurovision Song Contest with "T'en vas pas", representing Switzerland.

From then on, her duo with her then husband Abi Ofarim began take off. In 1966 they had their first hit in Germany with "Noch einen Tanz". Their greatest success in Germany was "Morning of my Life" in 1967, which was written by the Bee Gees. In 1968 the Ofarims had their international breakthrough with "Cinderella Rockefella", which hit the top of the charts in a number of countries including the UK. They played many live concerts in New York and London, and in 1969 they toured around the world.

As result of problems in both business, and personal relations, they divorced in 1970 [1] (in German).

Esther started her solo career with several albums and concerts. In 1984 she played in Joshua Sobol's piece "Ghetto", produced by Peter Zadek in Berlin (Germany). There she sang some songs, including "Frühling" and "Unter deinen weissen Sternen". The play was extremely successful, which was attributed in part to Esther's strong presence.

Since 1998, Esther Ofarim has been performing several concerts each year, especially in Israel and Germany. This includes annual concerts in the Hamburger Kammerspiele.

Ofarim's songs were prominently featured in the 2004 Israeli film, Walk on Water.

Don't Pass Me By
Esther Ofarim Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I listen for your footsteps
Coming up the drive
Listen for your footsteps
But they don't arrive
Waiting for your knock dear
On my old front door
I don't hear it
Does it mean you don't love me any more.

Don't pass me by, don't make me cry, don't make me blue
'Cause you know darling I love only you
You'll never know, it hurt me so
How I hate to see you go
Don't pass me by, don't make me cry!

I hear the clock a'ticking
On the mantel shelf
See the hands a'moving
But I'm by myself
I wonder where you are tonight
And why I'm by myself
I don't see you
Does it mean you don't love me any more.

Don't pass me by, don't make me cry, don't make me blue
'Cause you know darling I love only you
You'll never know, it hurt me so
How I hate to see you go
Don't pass me by, don't make me cry!

I'm sorry that I doubted you
I was so unfair
You were in a car crash
And you lost your hair
You said you would be late
About an hour or two
I said that's alright I'm waiting here
Just waiting to hear from you.

Don't pass me by, don't make me cry, don't make me blue
'Cause you know darling I love only you
You'll never know, it hurt me so

How I hate to see you go
Don't pass me by, don't make me cry!

Overall Meaning

The song Don't Pass Me By by Esther Ofarim is about a woman waiting for her lover to come home. She is anxiously listening for his footsteps, anticipating his arrival, but they don't come. She is waiting for him to knock on her door, but she doesn't hear it. She wonders if this means he doesn't love her anymore. She pleads with him not to pass her by, not to make her cry, not to make her blue because she loves only him. She doesn't want to be left alone and hurt.

As the song progresses, the woman is still waiting, but she hears the clock ticking on the mantel and realizes she is by herself. She wonders where her lover is and again questions whether he still loves her. She is hurting and doesn't want him to pass her by.

In the final verse, the woman apologizes to her lover for doubting him. She learns that he was in a car crash and lost all his hair, which is why he didn't come home. He told her he would be late by an hour or two, but she didn't know he was in an accident. She's been anxiously waiting for him and is relieved to know he is okay.

Overall, Don't Pass Me By is a sad love song about longing for someone who may not come back. The lyrics are poetic and heart-wrenching, making the listener feel empathy for the woman who is waiting for her lover.

Line by Line Meaning

I listen for your footsteps
I am eagerly waiting and anticipating your arrival.

Coming up the drive
Walking up the driveway to my house.

Listen for your footsteps
I am still waiting for you and paying close attention for any sign of your arrival.

But they don't arrive
Yet, you have not come and I am left disappointed and sad.

Waiting for your knock dear
I am also waiting for the sound of you knocking on my door.

On my old front door
Referring to the entrance of my house, where you typically knock when you arrive.

I don't hear it
I am not hearing any sound of your arrival and it is causing me to feel anxious and worried.

Does it mean you don't love me any more.
I am now wondering if the lack of your arrival means that you no longer have feelings for me.

Don't pass me by, don't make me cry, don't make me blue
Please do not ignore me or hurt me, as it causes me great sadness and depression.

'Cause you know darling I love only you
I am expressing my deep love and affection for you, and how I only have feelings for you.

You'll never know, it hurt me so
I know I may never be able to convey how much it hurts me to be ignored by you.

How I hate to see you go
I deeply cherish the time we spend together and dread the thought of you leaving.

I hear the clock a'ticking
The sound of time passing, which is causing me to feel more and more lonely without your presence.

On the mantel shelf
Referring to the place in the room where the clock is located, as it ticks away the seconds of my lonely wait.

See the hands a'moving
I can physically see that time is passing, making me feel even more anxious about your delayed arrival.

But I'm by myself
I am all alone, without the company of the one I love, which is deeply distressing for me.

I wonder where you are tonight
I am concerned about your whereabouts and the reason for your absence on this night.

And why I'm by myself
I am questioning why I am alone and without your company, which is causing me so much pain and sadness.

I don't see you
I still have not caught sight of you and am left feeling more and more heartbroken.

Does it mean you don't love me any more.
Again, I am wondering if your absence means that you have stopped caring for me in the same way that I care for you.

I'm sorry that I doubted you
I am feeling guilty and regretful that I ever doubted your love and loyalty to me.

I was so unfair
I am acknowledging that my doubts about your love were not justified and that I unfairly accused you of not caring enough about me.

You were in a car crash
I finally received an explanation for your delayed arrival, which was due to you being involved in a car accident.

And you lost your hair
I am referencing physical changes resulting from the accident, which shows the severity of the situation.

You said you would be late
You communicated that you would be delayed and not able to arrive on time.

About an hour or two
You estimated that your delay would be a matter of hours, but it is now clear that it was due to unforeseen circumstances.

I said that's alright I'm waiting here
Despite being anxious and worried, I reassured you that I would wait patiently for your arrival.

Just waiting to hear from you.
My greatest desire was to simply hear directly from you, letting me know that you were safe and on your way to me.

Contributed by Isabella S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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