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.
Song Of The French 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.
An old woman gave us shelter,
Kept us hidden in the garret,
Then the soldiers came;
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.
There were three of us this morning
I'm the only one this evening
Still I must go on;
The frontiers are my prison.
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.
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 song, "Song Of The French Partisan" by Esther Ofarim, tells the story of a wartime partisan fighting for freedom who has had to sacrifice everything, including his own identity and family, for the cause. The singer is driven to take up arms when soldiers cross the border and demand his surrender, but rather than acquiesce he chooses to go into hiding with the help of an old woman who gives him and his compatriots shelter.
The lyrics become mournful as the story takes a turn for the worse, with the old woman ultimately being killed by the soldiers. The singer recognizes that he has to keep going, even though he's the last member of his group still alive, because he's committed to the fight regardless of personal cost. He has to keep moving, changing his name often, as he's trapped by the borders and his enemies. The tragedy doesn't diminish his resolve, however, and he insists that freedom will come, blown in on the wind, and that those who have fallen will be remembered and honored when it does.
Overall, the song reminds us of the immense sacrifices that many people made during wartime and the extraordinary tenacity and resilience of those who fight for freedom against seemingly insurmountable odds.
Line by Line Meaning
When they poured across the border
When the enemy forces entered the territory
I was cautioned to surrender,
I was warned to give up and avoid risking my life
This I could not do;
I chose not to surrender as I couldn't accept oppression
I took my gun and vanished.
I carried my weapon and disappeared into the wilderness
An old woman gave us shelter,
An elderly lady provided us with a place to hide
Kept us hidden in the garret,
She kept us concealed in the attic
Then the soldiers came;
But the enemy eventually found us
She died without a whisper.
She passed away silently without revealing our location
Oh, the wind, the wind is blowing,
The wind is blowing, signifying change and transformation
Through the graves the wind is blowing,
The wind passes through the graves of deceased revolutionaries, bringing their spirits back to life
Freedom soon will come;
A brighter future where freedom is prevalent will soon arrive
Then we'll come from the shadows.
We'll emerge from the darkness and oppression and claim our liberty
There were three of us this morning
We began with three companions at the start of the journey
I'm the only one this evening
But now I'm the only one left
Still I must go on;
Nevertheless, I must keep moving forward and fighting
The frontiers are my prison.
The borders hold me captive, but I won't let that stop me from achieving freedom
I have changed my name so often,
To avoid getting tracked, I've altered my identity multiple times
I've lost my wife and children
In the course of the struggle, I've been separated from my family permanently
But I have many friends,
But I'm grateful for the companionship and loyalty of my allies
And some of them are with me.
I am not alone in this fight, some of my comrades still stand by me
Contributed by Scarlett F. 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