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.
Shirat Hanoded
Esther Ofarim Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Avanim lavavanot
Tov lashut tarmil al shechem
El bli an harchek lindod.
Bayn Ayelet u Metullah
Sham ayafti va eshev
Perach chen liktof chafatzti
Hey tziyunyunai haderech,
Avanim lavavanot
Tov laschut tarmil al schechem
El bli an harchek lindod.
Et haykum pitom lefeta
Arpilim helitu lot
Kchol merchav gazlu mineni
Shtey eynayim kechulot.
Hey tziyunyunai haderech,
Avanim lavavanot
Tov laschut tarmil al shechem
El bli an harchek lindod.
Beyn Ayelet u Metulla
Tarmili nafal bagay
Yad raka sham beleyl choshech
Gazeza machlefotay.
Hey tziyunyunai haderech,
Avanim lavavanot
Lo etze ode'lo abliga
El bli an harchek lindod
The lyrics of Esther Ofarim's Shirat Hanoded paint a vivid picture of a journey through the mountains and valleys of the Israeli landscape. The repetition of "hey tziyunyunai haderech, avanim lavavanot" (loosely translated as "oh, my rocky path, my white stones") throughout the song reinforces this sense of movement and progress. The first verse describes the path as being scattered with white rocks, but still worth traversing in order to come closer to someone or something beloved ("el bli an harchek lindod").
The singer then speaks of resting in the lush area between the cities of Ayelet and Metullah, and finding a beautiful flower ("perach chen") that fills her heart with joy. The second verse repeats the first verse, with slightly different imagery. Here, the path is interrupted by sudden cliff drops ("pitom lefeta/arpilim helitu lot") and the singer's gaze is stolen by the distant horizon, leaving her with two different-colored eyes ("shtey eynayim kechulot").
Finally, the last verse focuses on the two cities previously mentioned, Ayelet and Metullah. The singer speaks of a tragedy that has befallen the area, with something crumbling and falling ("tarmili nafal bagay"). The final line, "lo etze ode'lo abliga/el bli an harchek lindod" can be translated as "I don't know anymore, I don't care anymore/without coming closer to my beloved." This suggests that whatever turmoil may occur, the journey and the end result of being closer to what or whom one loves is worth it.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey tziyunyunai haderech, Avanim lavavanot Tov lashut tarmil al shechem El bli an harchek lindod.
Hey, my little donkey on the road, with white stones, it’s good to step gently over Shechem, so as not to tire me out.
Bayn Ayelet u Metullah Sham ayafti va eshev Perach chen liktof chafatzti Veninatz li koz balev.
Between Ayelet and Metullah I rested on the grass. I coveted a flower with grace, and it lodged in my heart.
Et haykum pitom lefeta Arpilim helitu lot Kchol merchav gazlu mineni Shtey eynayim kechulot.
Suddenly, my donkey stumbled, and I was thrown off balance. Everything around me was taken, and my eyes were blind.
Beyn Ayelet u Metulla Tarmili nafal bagay Yad raka sham beleyl choshech Gazeza machlefotay.
Between Ayelet and Metullah, my donkey fell in a ditch. There, in the dark of the night, my treasures were scattered.
Hey tziyunyunai haderech, Avanim lavavanot Lo etze ode'lo abliga El bli an harchek lindod.
Hey, my little donkey on the road, with white stones, I won't find another one, so please don't tire me out.
Contributed by Victoria V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Maya Mills
Beautiful.
This song sounds jolly and optimistic, but the lyrics really scared me when a was a child. Actually, they still creep me out a little.
JWA-Global Market Trading
All of the world's Generals will march together as one regiment down the main street of Jerusalem.
Asaf Schreiber
Jerusalem is pretty big, it has more than one main street.