№ 474. When You Believe

[MIRIAM]

[Verse 1]
Many nights we've prayed
With no proof anyone could hear
In our hearts a hopeful song we barely understood
Now we are not afraid
Although we know there's much to fear
We were moving mountains long before we knew we could

[Chorus]
There can be miracles when you believe
Though hope is frail it's hard to kill
Who knows what miracles you can achieve
When you believe, somehow you will
You will when you believe

[TZIPPORAH]
[Verse 2]
In this time of fear when prayer so often proved in vain
Hope seemed like the summer birds
Too swiftly flown away
Yet now I'm standing here

[MIRIAM]
Now I'm standing here

There can be miracles
When you believe
Though hope is frail it's hard to kill
Who knows what miracles
You can achieve when you believe
Somehow you will
You will when you believe

A-shi-ra La-do-nai ki ga-oh ga-ah
(I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously)
A-shi-ra La-do-nai ki ga-oh ga-ah
(I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously)
Mi-kha-mo-kha ba-elim A-do-nai
(Who is like You, oh Lord, among the celestial)
Mi-kha-mo-kha ne-dar- ba-ko-desh
(Who is like You, majestic in holiness)
Na-hi-tah ve-has-de-kha am-zu ga-al-ta
(In Your love, You lead the people You redeemed)
Na-hi-tah ve-has-de-kha am-zu ga-al-ta
(In Your love, You lead the people You redeemed)
A-shi-ra, a-shi-ra, a-shi-ra
(I will sing, I will sing, I will sing)

[The Hebrew children are singing a condensed version of the “Song of the Sea,” or “Shirat HaYam,” which can be found in Exodus 15:1 – 18.]

Bento Box:

The songwriter, Stephen Schwartz, debated about what to place in this section of the song. On his website, in response to a question, he stated that:

I felt that the song needed a bridge of some kind to build to the triumphant final verse and make a transition out of the bittersweet emotion Moses and the Hebrews felt at having won their liberation at the cost of so much suffering on the part of the Egyptians. But I couldn’t really think of anything in English that didn’t feel hackneyed or sentimental. So I began to think about the possibility of using Hebrew lyrics. I called one of the religious advisers on the project, Rabbi Robbins in Los Angeles, and asked him if he knew of any Hebrew poetry that might be appropriate, and he suggested the “Song at the Sea”, which the Hebrew tribes are supposed to have sung after they crossed over the Sea of Reeds. He thought it would be all right if I used some of the words for the beginning of the Exodus, and I selected the ones I thought were most appropriate for the situation, and then set them to music, trying to use a simple folk-like melody. It was [Hans Zimmer]’s idea to begin the section with children’s voices, yet another of his excellent contributions.