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.
Partisan
Esther Ofarim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I was cautioned to surrender,
This I could not do;
I took my gun and vanished.
I have changed my name so often,
I've lost my wife and children
But I have many friends,
And some of them are with me.
Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing,
Through the graves the wind is blowing,
Freedom soon will come;
Then we'll come from the shadows.
An old woman gave us shelter,
Kept us hidden in the garret,
Then the soldiers came;
She died without a whisper.
There were three of us this morning
I'm the only one this evening
But I wonder on;
The frontiers are my prison.
Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing,
Through the graves the wind is blowing,
Freedom soon will come;
Then we'll come from the shadows
The lyrics of Esther Ofarim's song Partisan is a deeply moving tribute to the brave men and women who fought against the Nazis during World War II. The artist's distinct voice conveys the intense emotions of a freedom fighter who refuses to give up his struggle, even as he sees his comrades fall one by one. The song opens with the line "When they poured across the border, I was cautioned to surrender, this I could not do; I took my gun and vanished." Here, the singer is presented with the choice of surrendering to the invading Nazis or fighting back. He chooses the latter, disappearing into the shadows.
The following lines "I have changed my name so often, I've lost my wife and children, but I have many friends, and some of them are with me" tells the story of a man who has lost everything in his quest for freedom. However, he finds solace in the fact that he is not alone; many others share his struggle. The chorus "Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing, through the graves the wind is blowing, freedom will soon come; then we'll come from the shadows" speaks to the hope that the fight for freedom will eventually be won.
The second verse is about an old woman who gave the singer shelter, only to die when soldiers came for them. The third verse reveals that the singer is the only one left of three people who were together that morning. The final line, "The frontiers are my prison," further reinforces the idea that the singer is trapped in his fight for freedom. He cannot give up, but he also can't escape the reality of the situation.
Line by Line Meaning
When they poured across the border
As the enemy forces crossed the border, I was warned to surrender to ensure my safety.
I was cautioned to surrender,
I was advised to give up and accept their authority to avoid any possible harm.
This I could not do;
I could not give up my freedom and live under their rule or control.
I took my gun and vanished.
I instead chose to fight for my freedom, taking my weapon and disappearing into the shadows.
I have changed my name so often,
To protect myself and my loved ones, I've had to assume different identities multiple times.
I've lost my wife and children
Because of my fight against oppression and tyranny, I've been separated from my family and don't know their whereabouts.
But I have many friends,
However, I've managed to build a network of supporters who share my cause and stand with me.
And some of them are with me.
Many of these friends are now my allies and comrades in this fight for freedom.
Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing,
The powerful wind blowing through my surroundings symbolizes major changes on the horizon.
Through the graves the wind is blowing,
The winds are blowing through the graves of those who sacrificed their lives for freedom.
Freedom soon will come;
Soon, we will have the freedom we've been fighting for.
Then we'll come from the shadows.
Then, we will emerge victorious from our hiding places and reclaim our rightful place in society.
An old woman gave us shelter,
Benevolent citizens, like this old woman, have provided us with safety and shelter to help us in our cause.
Kept us hidden in the garret,
She kept us hidden in her attic, away from the prying eyes of the enemy.
Then the soldiers came;
Unfortunately, the enemy soldiers eventually found us.
She died without a whisper.
The old woman faced a tragic end without putting up a fight or making a noise, which only adds to the sorrow of the situation.
There were three of us this morning
Initially, there were three of us fighting for our freedom this morning.
I'm the only one this evening
Sadly, at present, I'm the only one who has survived to see the evening.
But I wonder on;
Even though I've faced great loss and hardships, I continue to push forward and question what lies ahead.
The frontiers are my prison.
The borders continue to be sources of confinement and restriction for me, and I remain limited by them even in my quest for freedom.
Contributed by Alice V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Brian Fyfe
She signposted me to Leonard Cohen many many years ago with this song. Still a great version Ester.
רחל פרומן קומלוש
Thanks
Abhishek Talukder Euphony and Euphoria
When they poured across the border
I was cautioned to surrender,
This I could not do;
I took my gun and vanished.
I have changed my name so often,
I've lost my wife and children
But I have many friends,
And some of them are with me.
An old woman gave us shelter,
Kept us hidden in the garret,
Then the soldiers came;
She died without a whisper.
There were three of us this morning
I'm the only one this evening
But I must go on;
The frontiers are my prison.
Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing,
Through the graves the wind is blowing,
Freedom soon will come;
Then we'll come from the shadows.
Les Allemands e'taient chez moi, (The Germans were at my home)
Ils me dirent, "Signe toi, " (They said, "Sign yourself, ")
Mais je n'ai pas peur; (But I am not afraid)
J'ai repris mon arme. (I have retaken my weapon.)
J'ai change' cent fois de nom, (I have changed names a hundred times)
J'ai perdu femme et enfants (I have lost wife and children)
Mais j'ai tant d'amis; (But I have so many friends)
J'ai la France entie're. (I have all of France)
Un vieil homme dans un grenier (An old man, in an attic)
Pour la nuit nous a cache', (Hid us for the night)
Les Allemands l'ont pris; (The Germans captured him)
Il est mort sans surprise. (He died without surprise.)
Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing,
Through the graves the wind is blowing,
Freedom soon will come;
Then we'll come from the shadows.
Arkadiusz Starski
There are lyrics in the video description already. Besides, it is not the version we hear here. Esther Ofarim sure can sing and the orchestra behind her sure can play but both overdo and doesn't fit so well like Cohen and his rough suede voice for this partisan story.
Alain Pruchon
Special dédicace to Alexandre Schawtschko member of the S.O.E. He was 24 when he was kept in Eguzon, France. He shot the German soldier who was interrogating him. He received a bullet in his foot. He shot himself with his last bullet. He was French, he is buried near where I am living and his grave is a British soldier grave. I am going on is grave on 8 th of June each year. He died on 8 th June 1944.
Ömer Boztepe
Thanks to Mick Gordon and Tex perkins, I've found this song
רחל פרומן קומלוש
תודה
Abhishek Talukder Euphony and Euphoria
Cohen said the song, he didn't know how to sing...this one is called a song...the best version
רחל פרומן קומלוש
Thanks a lot