My Zaidy

My Zaidy lived with us in my parent's home

He used to laugh, he put me on his knee

And he spoke about his life in Poland

He spoke, but with a bitter memory

And he spoke about the soldiers who would beat him

They laughed at him, they tore his long black coat

And he spoke about a synagogue that they burnt down

And the crying that was heard beneath the smoke

But Zaidy made us laugh

Zaidy made us sing

And Zaidy made a kiddush Friday night

And Zaidy, oh my Zaidy, how I love him so

And Zaidy used to teach me wrong from right

His eyes lit up when he would teach me Torah

He taught me every line so carefully

He spoke about our slavery in Egypt

And how G-d took us out to make us free

But winter went by, summer came along

I went to camp to run and play

And when I came back home, they said "Zaidy's gone."

And all his books were packed and stored away

I don't know how or why it came to be

It happened slowly over many years

We just stopped being Jewish like my Zaidy was

And no one cared enough to shed a tear

But Zaidy made us laugh

Zaidy made us sing

And Zaidy made a seder Pesach night...

And Zaidy, oh my Zaidy, how I love him so

And Zaidy used to teach me wrong from right

Many winters went by,

many summers came along

And now my children sit in front of me

And who will be the Zaidy of my children?

Who will be their Zaidy, if not me?

Who will be the Zaidys of our children?

Who will be their Zaidys, if not we?

But Zaidy made us laugh

Zaidy made us sing

And Zaidy made a kiddush Friday night

And Zaidy, oh my Zaidy, how I love him so

And Zaidy used to teach me wrong from right