Chanukah
Six13 Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴I′m feeling pretty great
Got latkes on my plate
I love this holiday
I love this holiday

And Kislev is the date
Light candles one through eight
Add a new one every day

I love this holiday

I'm spinning Dreidels
Onions and potatoes
Coming to my table
Smells so good, singing
It′s gonna be eight nights

Cause we're counting up to eight, eight, eight, eight, eight
We escaped an awful fate, fate, fate, fate, fate
We're gonna celebrate, -brate, -brate, -brate, -brate
It′s Chanukah, Chanukah

Light the candles every night, night, night, night, night
And the blessings we′ll recite, -cite, -cite, -cite, -cite
For the festival of light, light, light, light, light
It's Chanukah, Chanukah

Back in 160 b.c.e.
Lived Judah Maccabee
His army was so weak
But they still beat the greeks
Supply of oil wasn′t great
But a miracle took place
It burned for eight whole days
It burned for eight whole days

So in December
Take time to remember
With four Hebrew letters
Spinning round singing
It's gonna be eight nights

Cause we′re counting up to eight, eight, eight, eight, eight
And these Latkes taste so great, great, great, great, great
Yeah that's how we celebrate, -brate, -brate, -brate, -brate
It′s Chanukah, Chanukah

Made a Dreidel out of clay, clay, clay, clay, clay
When it's ready I will play, play, play, play, play
Got a Gimmel not a hay, hay, hay, hay, hay
Mazal tov, mazal tov

Hay, hay, hay
Just remember,
If life's been getting you down,
You should be thinking about the miracle of light
And the story of the
Mac-
-Ca-
-Bees.
Spin a nun and you don′t get none
Put one in if you′re landing on a shin
If you wind up with a hay, you get half the total pay
But if you spin a little gimmel then you take, take, take...

Cause we're counting up to eight, eight, eight, eight, eight
We escaped an awful fate, fate, fate, fate, fate
We′re gonna celebrate, -brate, -brate, -brate, -brate
It's Chanukah, Chanukah

The candles gonna burn, burn, burn, burn, burn
And the dreidels gonna turn, turn, turn, turn, turn

Got some history to learn, learn, learn, learn, learn
For Chanukah, Chanukah

Overall Meaning

The song "Chanukah" by Six13 is a celebration of the holiday and its significance. The lyrics describe the various traditions associated with the holiday, including eating latkes, spinning dreidels, lighting candles, and reciting blessings. The song also tells the story of Judah Maccabee and the miracle of the oil, which burned for eight days despite there being only enough for one day. The chorus repeats the number eight as a way of counting down the eight nights of Chanukah.

The verses of the song focus on different aspects of Chanukah. The first verse mentions the joy of eating latkes and the excitement of counting up to eight. The second verse describes the act of spinning dreidels and the aroma of onions and potatoes on the table. The third verse tells the history of Judah Maccabee and the miracle of the oil, and reminds listeners to remember the holiday's meaning.

Overall, "Chanukah" by Six13 is a lively and upbeat song that celebrates the holiday's traditions and history. It encourages listeners to participate in the festivities and reflect on the holiday's significance.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm feeling pretty great
The singer is feeling happy and excited.

Got latkes on my plate
The singer has latkes, a traditional Jewish dish made of potato pancakes, on their plate.

I love this holiday
The singer expresses their love for the holiday of Chanukah.

And Kislev is the date
The holiday of Chanukah takes place in the Hebrew month of Kislev.

Light candles one through eight
The holiday is celebrated by lighting candles in a menorah each night, starting with one candle and adding one more each night until there are eight lit candles.

Add a new one every day
Each night, another candle is added to the menorah until all eight are lit by the end of the holiday.

I'm spinning Dreidels
The singer is playing with a dreidel, a four-sided spinning top used in a traditional Chanukah game.

Onions and potatoes
Onions and potatoes are ingredients used to make latkes.

Coming to my table
The latkes are about to be served.

Smells so good, singing
The artist is singing happily because the smell of the latkes is so good.

It's gonna be eight nights
The holiday of Chanukah lasts for eight nights, which the singer is anticipating.

Cause we're counting up to eight, eight, eight, eight, eight
Each night of Chanukah, another candle is added to the menorah until there are eight lit candles.

We escaped an awful fate, fate, fate, fate, fate
The Jewish people were saved from oppression and persecution at the hands of the Greeks, which is celebrated during Chanukah.

We're gonna celebrate, -brate, -brate, -brate, -brate
The singer is expressing their excitement for the upcoming Chanukah celebrations.

It's Chanukah, Chanukah
The singer is celebrating Chanukah.

Light the candles every night, night, night, night, night
Each night of Chanukah, the candles in the menorah are lit.

And the blessings we'll recite, -cite, -cite, -cite, -cite
As the candles are lit on each night of Chanukah, prayers and blessings are recited.

For the festival of light, light, light, light, light
Chanukah is also known as the Festival of Lights, which is celebrated during the holiday.

Back in 160 b.c.e.
Chanukah commemorates events that took place in the year 160 BCE.

Lived Judah Maccabee
Judah Maccabee was a Jewish military leader and hero who led a rebellion against Greek rule.

His army was so weak
Judah and his army were greatly outnumbered and outmatched by the Greek soldiers.

But they still beat the greeks
Despite being greatly outnumbered, Judah and his army were able to defeat the Greek soldiers.

Supply of oil wasn't great
When the Jews reclaimed their temple and wanted to light its menorah, they only had enough oil for one day.

But a miracle took place
According to Jewish tradition, the oil ended up lasting for eight days, which was a miracle.

It burned for eight whole days
The oil lasted for all eight nights of Chanukah, which is celebrated during the holiday.

So in December
Chanukah takes place in December, which coincides with the secular holiday season.

Take time to remember
The singer is encouraging listeners to reflect on the story of Chanukah and its significance.

With four Hebrew letters
The dreidel, a traditional Chanukah game, has four Hebrew letters on it.

Spinning round singing
The artist is playing with a dreidel and singing happily.

Made a Dreidel out of clay, clay, clay, clay, clay
Dreidels are traditionally made out of clay and the singer has made one themselves.

When it's ready I will play, play, play, play, play
The singer is looking forward to playing with the dreidel they made once it is dry and ready.

Got a Gimmel not a hay, hay, hay, hay, hay
In the dreidel game, getting a gimmel is the best outcome and getting a hay is a less desirable outcome.

Mazal tov, mazal tov
The phrase 'mazel tov' means congratulations or good luck.

Hay, hay, hay
The phrase 'hay, hay, hay' is a reference to the Hebrew letter hay, which appears on the dreidel.

Just remember,
The singer is reminding listeners of an important lesson.

If life's been getting you down,
If someone is feeling down or unhappy with their life, the artist has advice for them.

You should be thinking about the miracle of light
The singer believes that contemplating the miracle of the Chanukah oil lasting for eight days can help someone feel better about their life.

And the story of the
The singer is referring to the story of Chanukah.

Mac-
The first part of 'Maccabee,' the name of the Jewish military leader.

-Ca-
The second part of 'Maccabee.'

-Bees.
The third part of 'Maccabee.'

Spin a nun and you don't get none
In the dreidel game, spinning a nun is akin to getting nothing.

Put one in if you're landing on a shin
In the dreidel game, landing on a shin means you have to put one coin or token into the pot.

If you wind up with a hay, you get half the total pay
In the dreidel game, landing on a hay means you get half of the coins or tokens in the pot.

But if you spin a little gimmel then you take, take, take...
In the dreidel game, landing on a gimmel means you get to take all of the coins or tokens in the pot.

The candles gonna burn, burn, burn, burn, burn
Throughout Chanukah, the candles in the menorah will continue to burn each night.

And the dreidels gonna turn, turn, turn, turn, turn
Throughout Chanukah, people will continue to play with dreidels as part of the celebration.

Got some history to learn, learn, learn, learn, learn
The artist is encouraging listeners to learn about the history and significance of Chanukah.

For Chanukah, Chanukah
The singer is celebrating Chanukah.

Contributed by Parker L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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