Sing along
Lyrics
One step stuck in the middle
Just hold on for a little
Just hold on for a little
And maybe we will get rewarded in the end
The rail is worn and brittle
Just hold on for a little
Just hold on for a little
And maybe better times are coming round the bend
It will get better it will get better it will get better for us all
It will get better it will get better it will get better for us all
Come fill the glass to the rim now
Come fill the glass to the rim now
Come fill the glass to the rim now
And nothing in the world can break you down
Behind the song
The song’s story
A greeting that became a song
Hevenu Shalom Aleichem means ‘We bring you peace.’ The National Library of Israel catalogs it within the folk-song tradition. Its familiar melody is our source here; a precise first composer or date is not established by the evidence we have checked.
NLI music collection
The words take a different path
Olga Anikina wrote the commissioned Russian lyric Давай потерпим маленько for that melody. Walter J. Kin then adapted her words into English. The resulting Hold On is about patience and endurance, rather than a literal translation of the Hebrew greeting.
Our recording & notes
Two versions, distinct texts
This recording is the main Hold On, with the Olga-to-English lyric chain. Our separate Kid's Version has its own English words and credits. One familiar melody carries two different messages, each shaped for its listeners.
Our recording & notes
About this recording
This English recording sets Walter J. Kin’s adaptation of Olga Anikina’s commissioned Russian lyric to the traditional melody identified as Hevenu Shalom Aleichem.
A person waits on a step, holds a worn rail and hopes better times are near. The song ends by filling a glass and refusing defeat. This is the main Hold On recording, distinct from Hold On (Kid’s Version).
Why we consider this song Jewish or Jewish-themed
We consider its Jewish connection to lie in the named traditional melody and the project’s Russian-to-English adaptation chain, rather than in a claim that endurance belongs to only one people.
For us, the repeated promise that things can improve for everyone gives that inheritance a generous new message. Familiar music becomes a way to keep one another company through difficulty.
Credits & source
- Source melody
- Hevenu Shalom Aleichem, traditional Jewish melody
- Russian lyrics
- Olga Anikina, commissioned lyric Давай потерпим маленько
- English words, arrangement and production
- Walter J. Kin (RIGLI), English adapted from Anikina’s Russian
- Performance
- Riglis Band
From our YouTube description
