Jack Mayesh wrote these lyrics to the popular tune “Missirlu,” originally a Middle Eastern melody. Although it tells the story of a man, the speaker, and his love who abandoned him, the feelings of isolation and sadness he expresses can be related to many different Jewish histories, from the Passover story to that of immigration in the first half of the 20th century. The speaker starts out as distinct from the addressee, but eventually the two almost merge, as he predicts that she will one day cry as he is right now.