May 04 2026
Omein - James Kahn
By Jim Hynes
A little over a month ago, author, screenwriter, doctor, TV-producer, and singer-songwriter James Kahn released his song of resistance, “Cold Dawn” (reviewed here). His next single, entitled “Omein” was originally intended as the B side, but Kahn decided it should stand on its own. The upbeat song begins with multiple voices singing, or practically chanting the Jewish word, “Omein,” a communal rallying cry that essentially tells us to relax, have faith, have trust, and we suppose practice peaceful resistance. The song certainly lends itself to the latter. It also evokes the Buddhist meditative chant “Om” that was popular in the ‘70s.
If you are unfamiliar with the word, it doesn’t take Kahn long to begin the third verse with “Amen”.
Amen, Amen
And you haven’t had that feeling since you can’t remember when
Amen, Amen
Let its mem’ry keep you close, and say – Amen
The black-and-white cover photo depicts a woman sitting against the wall, eyes shut in the foreground, with an ambulance in the background on a rainy, urban street. This suggests she is trying to compose herself after a tragic incident that likely involved someone close to her. Kahn’s lyrics deal with enduring the pain, said most directly in these verses - “Your wounds can let the light in, that’s the way you may be seen/Amyn, Amyn/Feel the breath of change and say - Amyn.”
The use of Jewish and Arabic words is somewhat puzzling but our views are becoming increasingly global and there is yet another never-ending war in the Mideast, initiated by Trump, that could play into it. Regardless, Kahn is urging us to have faith, as exemplified by the Sanskrit word “Shantih.” The use of these words ultimately is to stress inclusion. In the last verse, he strings together all four of these interchangeable words, “shantih,” “amen,” “amyn,” and “omein,” ending with “May you sing the song of sleep - omein.”
So, while the overriding message of “Cold Dawn” was to endure and resist as the people of Minneapolis so successfully did, we now have its companion piece in “Omein,” which urges us to have faith that change will eventually occur. Basically, Kahn is urging us to keep breathing, to stay the course. In that sense, both messages are similar.
Jim Hynes is an independent contributor on music for several magazines, including Elmore and Country Standard Time. He has also written for Variety. He was a listener-supported public station(s) radio host for 25 years in CT, MI, NJ and PA. He is also a Live music host/Emcee at several national and regional venues.