Achat sha'alti me'eit Hashem, otah avakesh:
shivti b'veit Hashem, kol y'mei chayai, lachazot b'noam Hashem, u'l'vaker b'heikhalo.

One thing I ask from the Lord, one thing I desire
That I might dwell in Your house all the days of my life
To behold the graciousness of the Lord, and to enter God's sanctuary.

From Psalms 27:4, the Psalm for the days of awe.
B'kol Echad page 77

Tzlil v'Zemer tune used with permission. (Featured below in the recordings by Shmuel Popper and Yisroel Mendelson)

Adon olam asher malach,
b'terem kol y'tzir niv-ra.
L'eit na'asah b'cheftzo kol,
azai melech sh'mo nikra.


V'acharei kichlot hakol,
l'vado yimloch nora.
V'hu hayah, v'hu hoveh,
v'hu yihyeh, b'tifarah.


V'hu echad v'ein sheni,
l'hamishil lo l'hachbirah.
B'li reishit b'li tachlit,
v'lo haoz v'hamisra.


V'hu eili v'chai goali
v'tsur chevli b'eit tsarah.
V'hu nisi umanos li,
m'nat kosi b'yom ekrah.


B'yado afkid ruchi,
b'eit ishan v'airah.
V'im ruchi g'viati,
Adonai li v'lo irah.

Lord of the universe who reigned before anything was yet was created:
At the time when all things were made by His desire, then was His Name proclaimed King.
And after all things shall have had an end, He alone, the dreaded One, shall reign;
He was, He is, and He will be in glory.
And He is One, and there is no second to compare to Him, to consort with Him:
Without beginning, without end: to Him belong strength and dominion.
And He is my God—my Redeemer liveth and—a rock in my travail in time of distress;
And He is my banner and my refuge, the portion of my cup on the day when I call.
Into His hand I commend my spirit, when I sleep and when I wake;
And with my spirit, my body also: the Lord is with me, and I will not fear.

*Translation from the Authorized Daily Prayer Book by Simeon Singer, published in 1890 (now in public domain)

Taken from the siddur.
Has been put to an innumerable amount of tunes...add your favorite one.

Tune by Yaakov Shwekey licensed for streaming and downloading from this page.

The Zemirot Database has also received permission from the owner of the copyright in the song "Sanctuary" for use of the Sanctuary tune here. The original Sanctuary tune is by John W. Thompson and Randy Scruggs.

Az ikh vel zingen l'kho dodi
Zolstu zingen tshiri biri bim
Az ikh vel zingen likras kale
Zolstu zingen tshiri biri biri bom
L'kho dodi tshiri biri bim
Likras kale tshiri biri bom
L'kho dodi likras kale, tshiri biri biri biri bim

When I sing L'cha Dodi (go forth my beloved) you will sing "Chiri biri bim"
When I sing L'krat Kala (to greet the bride) you will sing "Chiri biri bom"

L'cha Dodi: Chiri biri bim
L'krat Kala: Chiri biri bom

L'cha Dodi, L'krat Kala
Chiri biri biri biri bim

(User-contributed translation)

This Yiddish call-and-response song integrates "L'cha Dodi" from the Erev Shabbat liturgy.

(Oy) golus, golus, vi groys bistu!

Shkhine HaKedoyshe, vi vayt bistu!

Ven der golus volt kleyner gevoren,

Volt di Shkhine neynter gevoren.

Oh, exile, exile, how vast you are!
Holy Presence (of God), how far You are!
When the exile becomes smaller,
The Holy Presence will get closer.

(User-contributed translation)

A Yiddish song written by Rebbe Isaac of Kalov, zt"l, the first Kalover Rebbe.
This is a version of a song which came from Hungary, originally about a rose in a forest. The Rebbe adapted it to be about the Jewish people in exile accompanied by the Presence of God.

This song is featured in this medley by legendary Hasidic cantor David Werdyger:
Object removed for printing.

Kol bayar onochi shomea, ov labonim koreya.
A geshrey un a gevald un a gefilder, a foter in vald zukht zayne kinder.

Bonay bonay hekhon holakhtem, asher olay kokh shekakhtem.
Kinder kinder voo zayt ir gevezn, vos af mir hot ir shoyn fargesn.

Bonay bonay lekhu l'beysi, ki lo oykhel losheves yekhidi b'beysi.
Kinder kinder kumt tsu mir aheym, varum mir iz umetik tsu zitsen aleyn.

Ovinu ovinu eykh nelekh, ki hashoymer oymeid b'shaar hamelekh.
Foter foter vi kenen mir geyn tsu dir, az der shoymer shteyt dokh bay der tir.

A cry and a scream and a feeling, a father in the forest is searching for his children.

Children, children, where have you been, that you have forsaken me?

Children, children, come back home to me, because I am tired of sitting alone.

Father, father, how can we go to you, when there's a guard standing at the door (king's gate).

This niggun was created by Reb Aryeh Leib (a follower of the Baal Shem Tov), who was also known as the Shpoler Zayde.

He would sing this niggun before Tikkun Chatzos, the midnight prayer bewailing the destruction of the Temple.

The song's lyrics reflect the meaning of that prayer. The niggun is about a father searching for his children, asking if they have forgotten about him and that they should return home. The children answer: "How can we return home when there's a guard at the door?"

This symbolizes our present situation with our Almighty Father and His children, the people of Israel. G-d is looking for the Jewish people who are in golus (exile), and implores them to return home. The Jewish people reply: "How can we return home, when there's a guard (our nefesh habehomis) blocking the way back home?"

Traditionally, each verse was sung in Hebrew, Yiddish and Russian (Russian lyrics are omitted here) before moving onto the next verse. Often, people now sing with an added English line to each verse:

A voice in the forest reaches my ears, a father calling his lost children near.
Children children where can you be, that you've forgotten all about me.
Children children return to your home, for I cannot bear to remain alone.
Father father how can we return once more, when your guard is standing outside your door.

Some, more recently, have added new verses (expressing the Father's reply to the Children). There are different versions, such as:
Children children repent for your sins, and against the enemy you will win.
Children children if for Moshiach you do yearn, mitzvos do and Torah learn.
Children children have no fear, the coming of Moshiach is very near.

Carlebach version with music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPbNv4g-kRM

Lev tahor b'ra li Elohim, vruach nachon chadesh b'kirbi-Al tashlicheni mi'lfanecha, v'ruach kodshecha al tikach mimeni.

Create me a clean heart, O God; and renew a stedfast spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy holy spirit from me.

Translation source: Jewish Publication Society Bible (1917) (public domain)

Psalms 51:12-13
On YouTube (Dani Golan and Friends):
Object removed for printing.

Mah tovu ohaleicha ya'akov mishkenoteicha yisrael.

Va'ani berov chasdecha avo beitecha, eshtachaveh el heichal kodesheca beyiratecha.

How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob, thy dwelling places, O Israel! As for me, in the abundance of thy lovingkindness will I come into thy house: I will worship toward thy holy temple in the fear of thee.

Translation from The Standard Prayer book by Simeon Singer (1915) (public domain)

Numbers 24.

Video version below Shalsheles Junior

Oyfn pripetshik brent a fayerl,
Un in shtub iz heys,
Un der rebe lernt kleyne kinderlekh,
Dem alef-beys.

Refrain:

Zet zhe kinderlekh, gedenkt zhe, tayere,
Vos ir lernt do;
Zogt zhe nokh a mol un take nokh a mol:
Komets-alef: o!

Lernt, kinder, mit groys kheyshek,
Azoy zog ikh aykh on;
Ver s'vet gikher fun aykh kenen ivre -
Der bakumt a fon.

Lernt, kinder, hot nit moyre,
Yeder onheyb iz shver;
Gliklekh der vos hot gelernt toyre,
Tsi darf der mentsh nokh mer?

Ir vet, kinder, elter vern,
Vet ir aleyn farshteyn,
Vifl in di oysyes lign trern,
Un vi fil geveyn.

Az ir vet, kinder, dem goles shlepn,
Oysgemutshet zayn,
Zolt ir fun di oysyes koyekh shepn,
Kukt in zey arayn!

On the hearth, a fire burns,
And in the house it is warm.
And the rabbi is teaching little children,
The alphabet.

Refrain:

See, children, remember, dear ones,
What you learn here;
Repeat and repeat yet again,
"Komets-alef: o!"

Learn, children, with great enthusiasm.
So I instruct you;
He among you who learns Hebrew pronunciation faster -
He will receive a flag.

Learn children, don't be afraid,
Every beginning is hard;
Lucky is the one has learned Torah,
What more does a person need?

When you grow older, children,
You will understand by yourselves,
How many tears lie in these letters,
And how much lament.

When you, children, will bear the Exile,
And will be exhausted,
May you derive strength from these letters,
Look in at them!

By M.M. Warshawsky (late 19th, early 20th century)

Translation from Wikipedia; available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.

Am E Am | C G7 C C7
Dm Am | E C E A7
Dm Am | E C E Am

Sol a kokosh mar, moygvred megvirt mar, jzald er jzerbn,
shik mejzerbn,
sheitl edje mahdar,
jzald er jzerbn,
shik mejzerbn,
sheitl edje mahdar

De mitschada mahdahr? De mitschada mahdahr? Sharga labba
jinji a saya,
engem uda vahar,
Sharga labba
kik a saya,
engem uda vahar.

Vahr mahdahar vahr - Vahr mahdahar vahr!
Ha az Ish-ten neked rendel,
ah tied less uz mahr.
Ha az Ish-ten neked rendel,
ah tied less uz mahr.

Deh mikhor less uz mar?
Deh mikhor less uz mar? "Yibaneh haMikdash,
Ir Tzion Timalei",
Akhur less uz mar. "Yibaneh haMikdash,
Ir Tzion Timalei",
Ahkar leseg mar.

The sun is rising now, the rooster crows now. Near a green forest, is a wide field, where a bird walks around.

What sort of bird is this? What sort of bird is this?
With yellow feet, and a pearl-white beak, he is waiting to go home. With yellow feet, and blue-green wings, he is waiting to go home.

Wait, birdy, wait! Wait, birdy, wait!
Until God decides it is the right time, then you will go home.

But when will it be? But when will it be?
When "The Temple is rebuilt and then the city of Zion will be filled" - that is when it will be. When "The Temple is rebuilt and then the city of Zion will be filled" - that is when it will be.

("Why is it taking so long? Why is it taking so long? 'Because of our sins, we were exiled from our land', that it why it is. 'Because of our sins, we were exiled from our land', that it why it is.")

Translation by Yitzchak Kolakowski, uploaded by the author

Rebbe Isaac Taub of Kalov, zy"a, (1751-1821) overheard this Hungarian song being sung by a gentile shepherd boy. He recognized the tune to be from the ancient Holy Temple in Jerusalem. He "bought" the song from the boy, and the boy immediately forgot the song once the Rebbe learned it. He added the words in Hebrew about Temple, recognizing the story of the bird to actually be a parable of the exile of the Jewish people, and the importance of waiting for God to take us home, and not to take matters into our own hands.

Yum diddy dai
yum diddy dai
yum diddy dai dai dai dai dai
(x3)

Yum diddy dai
yum diddy dai
yum diddy dai dai dai

Classic Simchat Torah/Short Ruach song to dance to