A Man In The World

A Man In The World

  • Lyrics: Amos Rimon
  • Music: Edna Rimon
  • Arrangements: Ofer Me’iri
  • Album: My Soul (1994)

The song was written by Amos Rimon, a General Security Services man who was killed in Zor in Lebanon on November 11th, 1982. Amos used to write songs, and on one of his birthdays one of his secretaries made him a special notebook in which she gatherd his songs. Amos showed it to his wife, Edna Rimon, but after reading his sad songs, she was afraid they would become some kind of a prophcy, anf hide it on the top shelf of the closet. After his death she found the notebook, and composed this song.

Ofra: “I loved ‘A Man In The World’ from the first time I heard it, when someone from the Israeli consulate in Los Angeles let me hear it. Beside that, I felt I’m doing a good dead to his widow, Edna Rimon, who composed the song”.

Amos fell on 11.11, and his widow sees great symbolism in the fact that the song is track 11 on Ofra’s album.

Translated by Malka Tischler

A Man In The World

Man, man –
Hold on to the world strongly.
Embrace it
And do good for all.

Don’t fall and decline into the abyss,
Life is beautiful, look up to the heavens.
Man, in the world.
Let’s raise up our hands,
And keep our fingers crossed
For the good there is in this world.
Man, in the world.

Man, man –
Hold on to the world strongly.
Embrace it
And do good for all.

May the world go on, and continue to turn
May you be filled with the heart’s desire
of the people
Human being, in the world.
Therefore adopt the world into your heart
And kiss the lips of the one you love
Man, in the world.

Man, man –
Hold on to the world strongly.
Drink from the cup and leave nothing over
Rinse yourself clean of every bitter taste
Man, man.
Know how to give in and to forgive all.
Embrace the world, and go out to join the dance.
Man, in the world.

Abyss…