But It Was You — a Man Like Myself

Psalm 55 (Part 2 - Verse 1 and Verses 10-17) - But it was you — a man like myself, my close companion and my trusted friend.

Psalm 55 is a psalm of David, a prayer born out of deep pain. In the first part David cried, "Oh, that I had wings like a dove" — longing to fly away and find rest from the storm. In this second part the true source of the pain is revealed: not an enemy from the outside, but betrayal from within. David describes a city filling with violence, strife, and deceit — and among them, a close friend, almost a brother, who turned against him.

This is one of the most painful places in all of Psalms, because it touches a pain everyone knows: not the wound of a stranger, but the disappointment of someone we loved and trusted. David does not hide this pain — he places it openly and honestly before God.

The central verse, chosen as the title of this song, is:

"But it was you — a man like myself, my close companion and my trusted friend."

You, who were like me, my close friend — you are the one who hurt me. With you I shared secrets, conversation, and prayer, and from you came the wound. David brings it straight to God, hiding nothing.

This song is part of the larger journey of the project: with God's help, to compose and sing the entire Book of Psalms in a diverse, emotional, Jewish, and uplifting musical language.