There are many Chanukah songs, but there’s only one extra prayer in services that’s particularly about the holiday, and this melody by Dov Frimer has some of those words from the liturgy.
Sometimes, I like to make a fairly literal and also singable translation of a song or prayer that is usually in Hebrew so I can better understand what it means. Here, I’m singing Al Hanisim in Hebrew and English.
עַל הַנִּסִּים וְעַל הַפֻּרְקָן וְעַל הַגְּבוּרוֹת וְעַל הַתְּשׁוּעוֹת וְעַל הַמִלְחַמוֹת שֶׁעָשִׂיתָ לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה.
Al hanissim v’al hapurkan v’al ha-g’vurot v’al ha-t’shuot v’al hamilchamot she’asita la-avoteinu bayamim haheim bazman hazeh.
It’s about the miracles
And the redemption
And the heroics
And the salvation
And the wars you fought
For our ancestors, in
Those days at this time of year.
I found some additional information about the story behind this melody at JewishMusicNotes.com. According to this site, Dov Frimer originally wrote it in 1972 as YU student, made aliyah in 1973, and has been an attorney and law professor in Jerusalem.