L'mi Evkeh is the first elegy of Tisha B'Av evening in the Sefardic tradition. The poem introduces the main themes of Tisha B'Av and enumerates the many things we weep for. The final stanza quotes from the first line of Lamentations, which is read immediately afterwards. This is a traditional Spanish/Portuguese melody. As with many other Spanish/Portuguese songs for Tisha B'Av, the tonality is in the major, which still feels somehow mournful yet hauntingly beautiful. The congregation sings the last word of every stanza, which the chazzan then repeats. The last verse is sung in a more ornamented fashion, as is standard in the Spanish/Portuguese service.