Shlomi Shaban: Shir Eres (“Lullaby”)

“Something fundamental was shaken and awakened the most hidden fears that we had repressed”, says musician, singer-songwriter and pianist Shlomi Shaban about the life after October 7. “I drew a lot of strength from parenting, actually; I clung to my children like I had never clung to them before.”

In this episode of “Song of Hope”, Shaban gives a personal interpretation to Shir Eres (“Lullaby”) by poet, playwright, journalist, and translator Nathan Alterman – one of the most important poets in modern Hebrew poetry. Shaban has always sang this song to put his children to sleep at night, but now he hears echoes of war arising from between the lines. However, there is always the hope that the beauty of the melody will overcome them.

Shir Eres – which literally means “lullaby” – is indeed a lullaby, written by Alterman and composed by Sasha Argov for the stage musical “Queen Esther” – the last play ever written by Alterman. In the context of the play, which premiered at the Cameri Theatre in Tel Aviv in 1966, the court jester (Shimon Bar) sings the song to King Ahasuerus (Avraham Mor) on the night when the king is unable to fall asleep. The musical was a flop; however, the song was a success and has been performed and recorded by many different Israeli artists and singers over the years, from Chava Alberstein, through Arik Einstein and Shem Tov Levi, all the way to Nathan Slor, Alterman’s grandson.

Since the tragedy of October 7, Shlomi Shaban relates differently to the song’s lyrics, and the song itself bears new meaning for him, as is evident by his moving rendition.