"We Left Slowly" ( "Yatzanu at" or "Yatsanu at") is an Israeli song with verse of the poet and songwriter Haim Hefer (1946) and music by (1947). It was first publicly performed by the Chizbatron band in 1948. Its title comes from the first line. The song is a sad and quiet melody telling about a young Palmach fighter who is leaving his partner and they do not know whether they will see each other again.יצאנו אט (We left slowly), a Palmach webpage It has become popular in Israeli society and is customarily played on occasions of commemoration events related to the struggle for the establishment of the state of Israel.Arie M. Dubnov, The Missing Beat Generation: Coming of Age and Nostalgism in Arik Einstein's Music, Jewish Social Studies, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Fall 2015), pp. 49-88
The song was published in the newspaper , where it was noticed by Zehavi.From the CD booklet of "הימים האחרים - משיריו היפים של חיים חפר"
The song has been covered by many singersWe left slowly, Zemershet database; includes audio and video recordings of various performances including Shoshana Damari (1968), Esther Ofarim (1961), Yafa Yarkoni (1964), Arik Einstein (1966, 1971 also on album Jasmine, 1972Jasmine (CD, 1972) by Arik Einstein), Shlomo Artzi, Yishai Levi, Eyal Golan, and Danny Maseng.
Hebrew Transliteration EnglishWe Left Slowly / Haim HeferYatzanu at, chiver hayah halayil, Bamerchakim hiv'lichu ha'orot. Ve'at hayit yafa kishtey eynaich Et hadma'ot hayu ban atzurotWe left slowly. The night was pale. In the distance the lights flickered. And you were all loveliness like your two eyes With tears cupped in them.
Jazz journalist Dan Bilawsky describes the song as "a chill-inducing, mournful Israeli-standard ballad".Dan Bilawsky, Dan Adler: Back To The Bridge
In 1974, a children's newspaper Talk to the Children () published new lyrics to the song by a ten-and-a-half-year old boy Or Ezer (), titled "Tear and Victory" () which starts with the words "Twenty-six years have passed".
See also Hayu Zmanim
References