Sha Shtil

"Sha, Shtil, Makht Nisht Keyn Gerider!" is a Yiddish folk song, written and composed by unknown authors. In World War II, the song was adapted and sung during the Holocaust.

Lyrics and translation

The song depicts the atmosphere in a hasidic community. The melody starts with an augmented second, which is typical of the so-called Phrygian [dominant scale|gypsy scale].

History

According to an eye-witness account, the words to the original melody were adapted during police actions in the Holocaust as follows: “Sha, shtil, makh nit keyn gerider,/ S’iz in lager a kontrol vider./ Sha, shtil, makh nit keyn gevald,/ Di kontrol kumt aher bald./ Un az di kontrol kumt iz dokh vey un vind, / Men darf in lager nit zen keyn kind.”
The Israeli Yiddish metal band Gevolt has recorded Sha, shtil on its album AlefBase.