Let’s learn Hebrew with the song Kohavim Dolkim Al Esh Ktana by the band Mashina (הכוכבים דולקים על אש קטנה). This Hebrew song tells a personal, slightly offbeat story from the perspective of the singer about a girl he recently met. It unfolds in a casual, almost diary-like way:
To get the most out of this lesson, first read the vocabulary list, then follow the translation section to see how the words are used in context. Finally, listen to the song while following along to reinforce your learning. Repeating this will help the words and expressions stick naturally!
What is the song about?
he Hebrew song “HaKochavim Dolkim Al Esh Ketana” (הכוכבים דולקים על אש קטנה) by the Israeli rock band Mashina is about a man who meets a quirky and interesting girl. He sees her at a bar every night, and they spend time together going out, riding a Ferris wheel, and even spending the night together. The girl is described as “יפה קצת משונה” — beautiful but a little strange — which makes her special and memorable.
Hebrew Song Vocabulary Breakdown
Let’s first look at all the vocabulary in this song word per word before breaking down the phrases:
| Hebrew Word | English Translation |
|---|---|
| הסיפור | The story |
| שלי | My / mine |
| קצת | A little / somewhat |
| מוזר | Strange / weird |
| על | About / on |
| בחורה | Girl |
| שלא | That… not / who… not |
| מזמן | Long ago / recently |
| הכרתי | I met / I knew |
| אותה | Her / that (feminine) |
| אני | I |
| פוגש | Meet / am meeting |
| בבר | In a bar |
| כל | Every / all |
| לילה | Night |
| והיא | And she |
| היתה | Was |
| יפה | Beautiful |
| משונה | Strange / quirky |
| גם | Also / even |
| הכוכבים | The stars |
| דולקים | Burn / are lit |
| אש | Fire / flame |
| קטנה | Small / little |
| אז | So / then |
| יצאנו | We went out |
| יחד | Together |
| לבלות | To hang out / have fun |
| בלונה-פארק | At the amusement park / Luna Park |
| גלגל | Wheel |
| ענק | Giant / huge |
| לא | Not |
| די | Enough |
| לה | To her / for her |
| למיטה | To the bed |
| הספקנו | We managed / we had time |
| לעלות | To go up / get onto |
| בלילה | At night |
| מזן | Type / kind |
| כי | Because |
| כסף | Money |
| דרשה | Demanded / requested |
| במזומן | In cash |
| תלונה | Complaint |
Phrases breakdown
Verse 1
הסיפור שלי הוא קצת מוזר
- Literal: “The story of mine is a little strange”
- Meaning: “My story is a little strange”
על בחורה שלא מזמן הכרתי
- Literal: “About a girl that not long ago I met”
- Meaning: “About a girl I recently met”
ואותה אני פוגש בבר כל לילה
- Literal: “And her I meet at a bar every night”
- Meaning: “And I meet her at a bar every night”
והיא היתה יפה קצת משונה
- Literal: “And she was beautiful a little strange”
- Meaning: “And she was beautiful, a little quirky”
וגם הכוכבים דולקים על אש קטנה
- Literal: “And also the stars burn on a small flame”
- Meaning: “And the stars burn gently” or “The stars are softly burning”
Verse 2
אז יצאנו יחד לבלות
- Literal: “So we went out together to have fun”
- Meaning: “So we went out together”
בלונה-פארק גלגל ענק לא די לה
- Literal: “At Luna Park Ferris wheel not enough for her”
- Meaning: “We went to Luna Park; the Ferris wheel wasn’t enough”
למיטה הספקנו לעלות בלילה
- Literal: “To the bed we managed to go up at night”
- Meaning: “We even got to bed that night”
והיא היתה יפה קצת משונה
- Literal: Same as before: “And she was beautiful, a little strange”
וגם הכוכבים דולקים על אש קטנה
- Repeated: “And the stars burn on a small flame”
Verse 3
הסיפור שלי הוא קצת מוזר
- Repeated: “My story is a little strange”
על בחורה שלא מזמן הכרתי
- Repeated: “About a girl I recently met”
ואותה אני פוגש בבר כל לילה
- Repeated: “And I meet her at a bar every night”
והיא היתה מזן מוזר מזן
- Literal: “And she was of a strange type of type”
- Meaning: “And she was a strange kind of girl” (slightly humorous/redundant)
כי את הכסף היא דרשה במזומן
- Literal: “Because the money she demanded in cash”
- Meaning: “Because she insisted on cash”
Chorus
והיא היתה, יפה קצת משונה
- Literal: “And she was, beautiful, a little strange”
וגם הכוכבים דולקים על אש קטנה
- Literal: “And also the stars burn on a small flame”
והיא היתה, היא לא היתה תלונה
- Literal: “And she was, she was not a complaint”
- Meaning: “And she didn’t complain / there was nothing wrong with her”
וגם הכוכבים דולקים על אש קטנה
- Repeated: “And the stars burn on a small flame”
