From the recording Aliyah
Wherever You Go is a song from the point of view of Ruth, the namesake of a book in the Tanakh, the Jewish bible. In the book of Ruth, a woman named Naomi marries off her two sons to two women – Ruth being one of them – and they all move to a foreign land. When the two sons die shortly thereafter, Naomi tells her daughters in law to move back to their homes and find second husbands. One daughter in law assents, but Ruth refuses, preferring to stay with Naomi, take care of her, and find food for her left over from harvests. She promises Naomi the words that are the chorus of this song. This story is an incredibly moving tale of loyalty and the incredible bond that can exist between two people, not by virtue of romance or blood, but of caring and love.
Lyrics
And she said
Don’t stay, you should go
I’m dragging you down, and you of all people should know
She said that I could and I should be
Starting off fresh, with someone who has more to give me
But she has provided me
With a place where I feel loved, and understood, and safe and free
She needs help, she’s poor and weak
But that’s all the more reason to stay with the woman who loves me
So I said
Wherever you go, I will go
And wherever you stay, I will stay
Your people will be my people and your God my God
Wherever you die, I will die
And there will I be buried
May the Lord deal with me severely
If anything but death parts you and me
And she asked
How are we going to eat?
I don’t see how we can stand on our own two feet
So I said, I’ll just go
To the fields to get the fruit where no one else is going to go
And so the very next morning
I stared up into a tree
And I knew that what it grew would be enough for her and me
Cause we are not too hungry
It fills you up to know that there’s someone who loves you deeply
So we’re okay
And if you think I’m a fool
Next time you’re lonely, I’m pretty sure that you’ll
Agree that life alongside someone that you trust
Makes the queen’s jewels look like diamond dust
And that’s why I tell her
Wherever you go, I will go
And wherever you stay, I will stay
Your people will be my people and your God my God
Wherever you die, I will die
And there will I be buried
May the Lord deal with me severely
If anything but death parts you and me
Wherever you go, I will go
And wherever you stay, I will stay
Your people will be my people and your God my God
Wherever you die, I will die
And there will I be buried
May the Lord deal with me severely
If anything but death parts you and me