This nostalgic song about the early days of Tel Aviv was chosen to be “The Century Song of Tel Aviv” by the Tel Aviv Municipality in 2009. Originally written by Zvika Zelikovich and performed by Irit Dotan in 1973, this video shows the centennial celebration performance, featuring Dotan and Miri Mesika, accompanied by actors dressed in period clothes and a slideshow of old photographs of Tel Aviv. The lyrics, translated below, wistfully describe iconic sites and snapshots of the city, remembering them as the small, intimate places they once were, before being overshadowed by the modern metropolis that grew around them.Â
Give Us A Hand And We’ll Go
Give us a hand and we’ll go,
On Herzl without a road and a sidewalk
With a convoy of camels on the sand.
Let us go today,
To the Herzliya Gymnasium like yesterday.
Give us a hand and we’ll go,
To the small town that kisses the sea.
Give us a hand and we’ll go,
To places that once were and are gone.
Give us a hand and we’ll go,
See how the city nestles
On the beach in the warm evening.
Let’s sneak in quietly,To Rina Garden and perhaps to Beit Ha’am
Give us a hand and we’ll go…
Give us a hand and we’ll go,
We’ll come to her as before
With salty scents from the beach.
Let us, just one more time,
Make love on a bench in Hadassah Park.
Give us a hand and we’ll go…
Give us a hand and we’ll go,
We’ll gaze through the eyes of a child
How the small city has grown
All white and blue,
And the lights are on in her window today.
Give us a hand and we’ll go…