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Lyrics
I’m looking back through the pages of time
To May of forty-eight when the sun began to shine
After the longest night after all the pain
Mama got up and said It’s time to go home again
The dreamers saw what others couldn’t see
Building a dream out of faith and history
They looked ahead past the tears and the fears
A place to call our own after two thousand years
And when the shadows fell and the fight began
It wasn't just survival it was standing on our land
With friends across the ocean lending a hand
A promise born in the desert sand
And I keep on believing as the days go by
That peace will find a way under this blue sky
Where history flows and tomorrow can begin
Side by side let the healing start within
And Jerusalem will be golden again
Yeah Jerusalem will be golden again
They fought for every street for every rising dawn
Not for destruction but to carry on
For every soul that needed a sanctuary and a name
A flag raised high never to be the same
And through the decades through the storm and the dust
A strong bond remained built on unity and trust
A shelter for the weary a beacon in the night
Proof that hope can conquer the night
And I keep on believing as the days go by
That peace will find a way under this blue sky
Where history flows and tomorrow can begin
Side by side let the healing start within
And Jerusalem will be golden again
May the sound of the prayers turn into a song
Where everyone belongs where we all belong
From the coast to the hills let the worries cease
A home for us all in a promise of peace
And I keep on believing as the days go by
That peace will find a way under this blue sky
Where history flows and tomorrow can begin
Side by side let the healing start within
And Jerusalem will be golden again
Looking back to '48
Standing here today
Jerusalem golden again
Behind the song
The song’s story
The date inside the song
Golden Again looks back to May 1948, when Israel was proclaimed. The U.S. National Archives preserves Truman's recognition statement dated May 14. That is the historical moment behind the lyric's opening, not the date this new song was written.
U.S. National Archives
Memory shaped into a new song
Walter J. Kin wrote the music and English words as a reflection on home, loss and renewal. The lyric speaks from a Jewish longing for sanctuary and ends by reaching toward healing and peace. It is a personal artistic perspective, not a complete account of 1948.
Our recording & notes
Old colors, original composition
The recording combines klezmer folk-pop and niggun influences with doo-wop and gospel harmonies. Its references to Jerusalem and Jewish memory belong to a new English work, not an Olga Anikina adaptation or a translation of a traditional lyric.
Our recording & notes
About this recording
Golden Again looks back to Israel’s founding in May 1948 and the longing for a Jewish home. It moves from struggle and sacrifice toward healing, belonging and peace.
The recording blends klezmer folk-pop and niggun chants with 1950s doo-wop and female gospel harmonies.
Why we consider this song Jewish or Jewish-themed
For us, the connection is in the words and music: May 1948, Jerusalem, Jewish memory and the longing for home.
Klezmer and niggun influences connect the recording to Jewish musical traditions. Its hope for healing and peace is open to everyone. This is an original English song by Walter J. Kin, not a translation of a traditional lyric.
Credits & source
- Music, lyrics and production
- Walter J. Kin (RIGLI)
- Performance
- Riglis Band
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