Name: V'Hi She'Amda (Live) by Akiva Zneimer
Duration: 4 min 2 s
Description: 'V'Hi She'Amda (Live)' is an upbeat and folky Passover-themed song from Akiva Zneimer (lead vocals & guitar) featuring Noam Barkany (harmonies & guitar) & Shimmy Hambling (percussion). The song draws from a wide range of influences (Shlomo Carlebach, Yosef Karduner, Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers) & is the first instalment in Zneimer's 'Live from the Besht' EP to be released in the summer of 2025.

fire and the box - stripped-

NJ Transit (voice memo)

Artwork by Vladimir Kush

Written 18 years ago.... is what I'll say in ten years.

I’ve been an addict all my life long
to games I can’t win and puzzles I can’t solve
It’s been some kind of sick fascination
to find myself in impossible situations 
-
and this one is one of those
I’m a deep sea fish reaching for a desert rose
I’m a parking lot, hoping that a garden grows
I’m me and you’re you and my only way through is to divide by zero

you don’t like me much but I promise you this
if you knew me better you’d like me even less
If you could see what goes on in my thoughts
I think you’d personally lead the firing squad

but even though I wouldn’t agree
I’m so flawed, I’d assume I deserve it for something
this song just needs to be worthy of suffering 
I just want you to want something you can’t get anywhere except from me

It puts me out of sorts, but I think you’re my twin
and I ought to sue you for copyright infringement
but i’m sure at the court you’d have this winning defense:
my best is your ground floor, you do all I do and more, you’re improved at the core, so I’d best be out the door, with my obsolescence 
-
but you don’t know the thing you’ve offered
for a minute my sadness has an object
before this it hung shapeless as fog upon me
Now it’s fenced in a daydream that I can keep and smother by slow degrees
(And I guess you'd call that "sorrow laundering")

so even if it’s been in your mind
and even if there were enough time
and even if it’s true, what I swear I have seen
what you’d have to do would split you at the seams
-
it’d never be worth the risk
a dream gambled for so much less
just come clean, a daydream is all this is
some scene, from a movie we probably all saw as stupid kids

I’m sure you can tell most of this is an act
It can all go to hell, as a matter of fact
If I even thought this one could be solved
If I even thought the words could be carved
If I even thought I had something you want 
I’d ruin my life for those lottery odds.

Sorrow Laundering (Acoustic Demo)

TOMORROW

The war in Ukraine
The Earth is unleashed
Blood in the plains
Tomorrow will not come

Women in chains
Tears in chains
Children in pain
Tomorrow will not come

Boats drift
The sea that intoxicates
Boats capsize
Tomorrow will not come

People leaving
To other nations
Die in unison
Tomorrow will not come

But who can believe in a new future
And where do the songs and laughter go?
What chance do we have? Tomorrow

War at your door
The heat carries you away
The harvests are dead
Tomorrow will not come

Fear in the square
The cold that freezes you
The emotion that fades
Tomorrow will not come

But who can believe in a new future
And where do the songs and laughter go?
But what chance do we have?
Tomorrow

Demain

This song captures a moment in time and how that feels.

In The Moment

Dave

'V'Hi She'Amda (Live)' is an upbeat and folky Passover-themed song from Akiva Zneimer (lead vocals & guitar) featuring Noam Barkany (harmonies & guitar) & Shimmy Hambling (percussion). The song draws from a wide range of influences (Shlomo Carlebach, Yosef Karduner, Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers) & is the first instalment in Zneimer's 'Live from the Besht' EP to be released in the summer of 2025.

V'Hi She'Amda (Live)

A compass needle points towards the north, even when it’s buried in a drawer
You can burn the map, clean the mud from your boots, but it won’t erase what came before

Run away before the summer
Flee the garden before it blooms
Lilac time with love too shy
It isn’t real if no one finds you

(Instrumental)

Drift along until the summer
Flee the garden before it blooms
Lilac time with love too shy
You aren’t real if no one finds you

Seeking refuge in strange cities, somewhere that no one can find you
But drifting in a faceless crowd doesn’t soothe the way it used to

Run away before the summer
Flee the garden before it blooms
Lilac time with love too shy
It isn’t real if no one finds you

Before it blooms

Let Me Be Better Than I Was – A Song for the Heart That Still Hopes

Warm, honest, and quietly powerful, this song blends heartfelt lyrics with a soul-stirring melody that feels both intimate and uplifting. The gentle acoustic instrumentation carries a confessional tone, while the vocals deliver raw emotion without pretence—just a sincere desire to change, grow, and walk closer with Jehovah.

This is a prayer set to music. Whether you’re at a crossroads or simply trying to walk a little closer to your values, this song is a companion for reflection. It reminds us that progress doesn’t require perfection—just humility, trust, and a willingness to try again.

Listen when your heart feels heavy or hopeful. Let it lift you one step closer to who you’re meant to be.

Study the Bible for free at www.jw.org
Music and Vocals: Suno.ai
Lyrics: Fresh Virtual Reality

====[ LYRICS ]====

[Verse 1]
I’ve worn my flaws like second skin
Hid what I felt, kept it locked within  
But I’m tired of shadows, tired of shame  
I need your light to show me the way  

I spoke like I had all the answers
But silence was my only prayer  
Now I kneel, heart laid bare—  
Jehovah, are you there?  

[Chorus]
Let me be better than I was
Not just stronger, but guided by love  
Not just calm, but trusting your plan  
Not just kind, but shaped by your hand  
You see the heart beneath the scars  
Let me be better—just as I am  

[Verse 2]
I’ve wandered roads that led me home
To where your voice is soft but known  
When I was numb, still you were near  
Your mercy louder than my fear  

I’ve read your word through weary eyes
Each verse a whisper, a call to rise  
So here I am, not proud, just true—  
I want to walk each step with you  

[Chorus]
Let me be better than I was
Less of my will, more of your cause  
Let me reflect what patience can be  
Show your compassion working in me  
You see the soul I’ve tried to guard  
Let me be better—Jehovah, my God  

[Bridge]
I won’t pretend I haven’t strayed
But you forgive when I’ve confessed and prayed  
No crown, no worth of my own to boast  
Just grace enough to hold you close  

[Final Chorus]
Let me be better than I was
Lifted by undeserved love  
Let every failure become my prayer  
Every tear, a step toward care  
You’re not done with me—this I trust  
Let me be better than I was

Let Me Be Better Than I Was

Wedding Song

A FLIGHT TO ANYPLACE

I took a flight to any place
Found out that people are the same
Lovers in Paris dream and kiss
The same as those in Rio

And we don’t know what to say

And when a child looks at the sky
The stars above give earth a glance
Nations and people blend and form
The face you see in your mirror

And can we guess what’s on your mind


Come up and lend a good hand
And share the love and not the sorrows
No need for passports in our hearts
Will you ignore those who won’t follow?

Their minds got lackadaisical
Ear-to-ear geodesical
The thing is fear drives them around
Let’s hope they’ll soon rebound

And when a wave breaks in the reefs
What’s with the water sprinkling rain
Mothers in Mumbai love their kids 
the same as those in Reno
And we pretend we are not the same


Come up and lend a good hand
And share the love and not the sorrows
No need for passports in our hearts
Will you ignore those who won’t follow?

I took a flight to any place



V'Hi She'Amda (Live)

Akiva Zneimer

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