Eini yodei'a im ani hayiti melech
Aval vadai she'at hayit nesichati.
U'keshesichaknu beh-"nidmeh li"
veh-"nidmeh lach"
Ani natati lach et keter malchuti.

Ve'at chavasht al tzamotayich et haketer
Ve'anochi hirkavti akordyon al gav.
Uvein yemei hachagigot lisdot haketel
Hayiti shar lach beminim uve'ugav...


Chorus:
Shimri li al hamangina,
asher hayta shelanu.
Zichri ota, yalda k'tana,
bechol asher telchi.
Ve'et ha'akordyon, biti,
asher liva otanu
Ani mash'ir lach matana,
bederech hamlachim.

Lema'anech libi hiksheiti kevazelet.
Lema'anech pirnasti et kalvei har'chov.
Lema'anech hikiti et roshi basela
Velo chadalti af lerega le'ehov.
Uvaleilot kesheyashant al kar hameshi
Ani kibiti et ha'or bachadarim.
Vechaf yadi hayta noga'at umegasheshet
Ba'akordyon asher bacha et hashirim.

Halo tamid hayit li kevavat ha'ayin
Kemo yom aviv hamitmashech kawl hashana.
Lachen rak lach ani yatzarti yesh mei'ayin
Keshemacharti kutanti ha'achrona.

Achshav gam at yoda'at she'eineni melech.
Ve'ein li bayit misheli ve'ein pina.
Kol ma sheyesh li hem aviv upat bemelach
Ve'akordyon yashan uvo hamangina

Shimri li al hamangina.....

I don't know if I was a king
But surely you were my princess.
And when we played
"Pretend"
I gave you my royal crown.

And you put the crown onto your braids
And I put the accordion onto my back.
And between the days of celebration
and the fields of slaughter
I would sing to you, with strings and flute...

Chorus:
Preserve for me,
the melody which was ours.
Remember it, little girl,
wherever you may go.
And the accordion, my girl,
which accompanied us
I leave for you, a present,
in the way of kings.

For your sake I hardened my heart like basalt.
For your sake I supported the dogs of the street.
For your sake I hit my head against the rock.
And never stopped loving, even for a minute.
And at night while you slept on the silken pillow
I turned off the lights in the rooms.
And my hand would touch, feeling its way,
On the accordion which wept the songs.

Preserve for me....

Were you not always the apple of my eye
Like a spring day which continues all year long.
Thus only for you I created something from nothing
As I sold my last shirt.

Now you also know that I'm not a king.
And I don't have a house of my own, not even a corner.
All that I have is spring, and a crust of bread with salt.
And an old accordion, and in it is the melody.

Preserve for me...