Hook:

We're Maccabee rebels in hiding we’re fighting

An empire that’s trying to stop us from shining

Sparks have been hidden so we can ignite them

Life is in need of our candles, so light them

Verse 1

"Greetings from the great Antiochus

It's a modern day and age and I want to focus on the secular -

Religion's bogus,

I'm sick of all your Jewish hocus-pocus!

I hereby ban the Sabbath and circumcision,

Forbid the sacred tradition

And so you get me,

I'll spit in your face,

By slaughtering pigs in your holiest place!"

We were occupied, our home’s a prison

But what can we do when the soldiers are killin

Even our children and taking our women

And this is a little known part of the story
-
That might be new to your ears, so listen:

Every bride to be was condemned to be taken

On the eve of their wedding and we

Could-not sit back and ignore this droit-de-seigneur
-
When Yehudit came to our door

She showed us her flame and spurred us to change

Her light convinced us to fight

And though the odds were horribly slight
-
We defeated Greece's might

Bringing our Temple back to life,

Which-the-Greeks had desecrated

Now we re-dedicated…

[Hook]

Verse 2

We guerrilla attack, fight!

Deep in the dead of the night, strike!

Fear in the hearts and the minds

Of the soldiers who occupy
-
Demoralising & paralysing with fear

Because our mission is clear

We gambled and won the freedom to be ourselves

Our name is Yisrael
-
We wrestle with G-d and with man and we prevail

So now we're setting sail

On a voyage of self-discovery

Cos Chanukah's got me wondering
-
How did the few defeat the many?

What can I do today to let the

Flame of inner potential

Ignite the way that it’s meant to
-
There are sparks of primordial light

Inside of our hearts and our minds

We can try to stifle these sparks

We can try to deny who we are
-
Or we can choose to awaken

As partners with Creation

Life’s awaiting participation

Our daily rededication

[Hook]

Verse 3

The Greeks had taken our women

Forbidden us our religion

They filled our Temple with idols and pigs

Defiled the altar with vile things
-
That place of beauty and grace

They filled with filth and piles of waste

So when we found the Menorah, we just knew

What we had to do
-
Re-light to restore the presence Divine,

To our, most, intimate shrine

But oil would take 8 days to make and arrive,
-
But then, under the dirt, under the ground

We found a drop of oil

This tiny drop that we found

Under the ground, not even enough for one day
-
Lasted us for 8,

Til more could arrive

So we still bathe in the light

Of the candles reminding us

That we can change our lives
-
Close your eyes and look with your mind

And see, the candles around the world

See the endless light that we provide

When we, can be, ourselves.

[Hook]