Words and music by Ben Yomen (1901-1970), published in the composer’s collection Oneg shabbat songs, 1962. The song, in the repertoire of popular singer Ben Bonus, was revived by his wife actress-singer Mina Bern, in the musical Those Were the Days. Bonus added the musical refrain.
There once was a Jew
Who had a wife.
And he asked her
To buy him wine for the Sabbath.
Oh, shabes, shabes, shabes.
Where do you get wine for the Sabbath?
When there is no salt,
And there is no fat —
Where can you find wine for the Sabbath?
There once was a Jew who had a wife.
And he asked her to bake him khale for the Sabbath.
Oh, shabes, shabes, shabes.
Where do you get wine for the Sabbath?
When there is no salt,
And there is no fat —
Where can you find khale for the Sabbath?
There once was a Jew who had a wife.
And he asked her to cook him meat for the Sabbath.
Oh, shabes, shabes, shabes.
Where do you get wine for the Sabbath?
When there is no salt,
And there is no fat —
Where can you find meat for the Sabbath?
There once was a Jew who had a wife.
And he told her: At least, make me tsimmes for the Sabbath.
Oh, shabes, shabes, shabes.
Where do you get wine for the Sabbath?
When there is no salt,
And there is no fat —
Where can you find tsimmes for the Sabbath?
Oh, shabes, shabes is almost over.
And it’s bitter as death
To be without a piece of bread.
Oh, where can you find a ruble for the Sabbath?
A mol iz geven a yid,
Hot er gehat a yidene,
Hot er geheysn, geheysn —
Zi zol im koyfn vayn oyf shabes.
Oy, shabes, shabes, shabes,
Zog, vu nemt men vayn oyf shabes?
S’iz nishto keyn zalts,
S’iz nishto keyn shmalts —
Iz vu nemt men vayn oyf shabes.
A mol iz geven a yid,
Hot er gehat a yidene,
Hot er geheysn, geheysn —
Zi zol im bakn khale oyf shabes.
Oy, shabes, shabes, shabes,
Zog, vu nemt men khale oyf shabes?
S’iz nishto keyn zalts,
S’iz nishto keyn shmalts —
Iz vu nemt men khale oyf shabes.
A mol iz geven a yid,
Hot er gehat a yidene,
Hot er geheysn, geheysn —
Zi zol im bakn fleysh oyf shabes.
Oy, shabes, shabes, shabes,
Zog, vu nemt men khale oyf shabes?
S’iz nishto keyn zalts,
S’iz nishto keyn shmalts —
Iz vu nemt men fleysh oyf shabes.
A mol iz geven a yid,
Hot er gehat a yidene,
Hot er geheysn, geheysn —
Zi zol im makhn khotsh tsimes oyf shabes.
Oy, shabes, shabes, shabes,
S’iz shoyn bald avek der shabes,
Un s’iz biter vi der toy,
On a shtick broyt,
Oy, vu nemt men a rubl oyf shabes?
אַ מאָל איז געװען אַ ייִד,
האָט ער געהאַט אַ ייִדענע,
האָט ער געהײסן, געהײסן —
זי זאָל אים קױפֿן װײַן אױף שבת,
אױ, שבת, שבת, שבת,
זאָג, װוּ נעמט מען װײַן אױף שבת?
ס׳איז נישטאָ קײן זאַלץ,
ס׳איז נישטאָ קײן שמאַלץ —
איז װוּ נעמט מען װײַן אױף שבת.
אַ מאָל איז געװען אַ ייִד,
האָט ער געהאַט אַ ייִדענע,
האָט ער געהײסן, געהײסן,
זי זאָל אים באַקן חלה אױף שבת?
אױ, שבת, שבת, שבת,
זאָג, װוּ נעמט מען חלה אױף שבת?
ס׳איז נישטאָ קײן זאַלץ,
ס׳איז נישטאָ קײן שמאַלץ,
איז װוּ נעמט מען חלה אױף שבת?
אַ מאָל איז געװען אַ ייִד,
האָט ער געהאַט אַ ייִדענע,
האָט ער געהײסן, געהײסן —
זי זאָל אים קאָכן פֿלײש אױף שבת.
אױ, שבת, שבת, שבת,
זאָג, װוּ נעמט מען פֿלײש אױף שבת?
ס׳איז נישטאָ קײן זאַלץ,
ס׳איז נישטאָ קײן שמאַלץ,
איז װוּ נעמט מען פֿלײש אױף שבת?
אַ מאָל איז געװען אַ ייִד,
האָט ער געהאַט אַ ייִדענע,
האָט ער געהײסן, געהײסן —
זי זאָל אים מאַכן כאָטש צימעס אױף שבת.
אױ, שבת, שבת, שבת,
ס׳איז שױן באַלד אַװעק דער שבת,
און ס׳איז ביטער װי דער טױט,
אָן אַ שטיקל ברױט,
אױ, װוּ נעמט מען אַ רובל אױף שבת?
Song Title: A Mol Iz Geven A Yid
The Songs of Generations: New Pearls of Yiddish Song anthology comprises songs that were either never printed before or appeared in rare and inaccessible publications — sometimes in different versions and without proper sources. Most of the songs in this book were submitted by readers of Chana and Yosl’s column “Perl fun der yidisher poezye” (Pearls of Yiddish Poetry) in the Yiddish newspaper Der Forverts (The Forward), initiated in October, 1970. Over 25 years, thousands of songs were collected in correspondence and on cassettes from readers throughout the world, and they represent a veritable national Yiddish song archive. Chana Mlotek, in her introduction, writes, “In the course of years the inquiries, contributions and enthusiasm of these readers have kept our own interest unflagging and have reinforced our dedication to this effort. And in recent years our participants have also been augmented by new readers from the former Soviet Russia, who receive our newspaper there or from newly-arrived immigrants in this country and Israel.”
