Words by Moyshe Bassin (1898-1971); music by Yosl Rumshinsky (1881-1958). Published in sheet music by Metro Music Co., N.Y., 1954.
I will sing You a song, dear God!
I will sing to You about Your shoemaker.
The shoemaker goes on the road at dawn,
“Shoemaker, my shoemaker, where are you going?”
“I’m going, I’m going
to earn bread for my wife and child.”
“Shoemaker, my shoemaker, what are you sewing?”
“I’m sewing, I’m sewing
thick boots for poor people;
God’s children, poor things, go barefoot,
and the world is full of mud.”
I will sing You a song, dear God!
I will sing to You about Your merchant.
The merchant travels on the road at dawn.
“Merchant, my merchant, where are you traveling?”
“I’m traveling, I’m traveling,
to serve God’s wretched people.”
“Merchant, merchant, what are you transporting?”
The giant ox and the leviathan,
God’s children are suffering, poor things, from hunger,
the world will rejoice (at the feast).
I will sing You a song, dear God!
I will sing to You about Your schoolteacher.
A teacher hurries on the road at dawn.
“Teacher, my teacher, where are you hurrying?”
“I’m hurrying, I’m hurrying,
to win the hearts of people.
“Teacher, my teacher, what are you carrying?”
“I’m carrying, I’m carrying
God’s Torah, proudly and cheerfully,
so that the world will not, Heaven forbid,
fall from the path of righteousness.
I will sing You a song, dear God!
I will sing to You about Your musician.
A musician strides out at dawn, yearning,
“Musician, my musician, what are you yearning for?”
“I’m yearning, I’m yearning,
to find the land of wonders.”
“Musician, my musician, what are you bringing?”
“I’m bringing, I’m bringing
King David’s violin
and a song to play for the world,
to gladden people’s hearts.”
I will sing You a song, dear God!
I will sing to You about Your dear Jews.
Your Jews are running joyfully at dawn.
“Jews, my Jews, where are you running?”
“What do you mean, ‘Where are we running?’”
To find the land of holidays.”
“Jews, God’s Jews, what are you buying?”
“What do you mean, ‘What are we buying?’”
We are buying holiday gifts.
God’s people are getting ready for the holiday
and we are carrying gifts for the world!”
Ikh vel a zemerl dIr zingen, gotenyu!
Ikh vel dir zingen fun dayn shusterl:
Geyt a shusterl in veg baginen,
— Shusterl, mayn shusterl, vu geystu?
— Ikh gey, Ikh gey
Far vayb un kind oyf broyt fardinen.
— Shusterl, mayn shusterl, vos neystu?
— Ikh ney, ikh ney
Far mentshn oreme tshobotes;
Gots kinder geyen, nebekh, borves,
Un di velt iz ful mit blotes.
Ikh vel a zemerl dir zingen, gotenyu!
Ikh vel dir zingen fun dayn soykherl:
Fort a soykherl in veg baginen,
— Soykherl, mayn soykherl, vu forstu?
— Ikh for, ikh for,
Gots bidne mentshn tsu badinen
— Soykherl, mayn soykherl, vos firstu?
— Ikh fir, ikh fir
Dem shor habor mit dem levyosn,
Gots kinder laydn, nebekh, hunger,
Vet oyf der velt zayn simkhe vesosn.
Ikh vel a zemerl dir zingen, gotenyu!
Ikh vel dir zingen fun dayn melamedl:
Yogt a melamedl in veg baginen.
— Melamedl, mayn melamedl, vu yogstu?
— Ikh yog, ikh yog
Dos harts fun mentshn tsu gevinen.
— Melamedl, mayn melamedl, vos trogstu?
— Ikh trog, ikh trog,
Gots toyre trog ikh shtolts un munter,
Es zol di velt, di velt, kholile,
Fun derekh-hayosher nit arunter.
Ikh vel a zemerl dir zingen, gotenyu!
Ikh vel dir zingen fun dayn klezmerl:
Shpant a klezmerl farbenkt baginen,
— Klezmerl, mayn klezmerl, vos benkstu?
— Ikh benk, ikh benk, –
Dos land fun vunder tsu gefinen.
— Klezmerl, mayn klezmerl, vos brengstu?
— Ikh breng, ikh breng, –
Dos fidele fun Dovid hamelekh,
A lidele der velt tsu shpiln,
Az oyfn hartsn zol vern freylekh.
Ikh vel a zemerl dir zingen, gotenyu!
Ikh vel dir zingen fun dayne yidelekh:
Loyfn yidelekh, mit freyd baginen.
— Yidelekh, gots yidelekh, vu loyft ir?
— Vos heyst, vos heyst?
Dos land fun yomtev tsu gefinen.
— Yidelekh, gots yidelekh, vos koyft ir?
— Vos heyst, vos heyst?
Dos koyfn mir dokh shalekh-mones,
Gots mentshn greytn zikh oyf yomtev,
Tsetrogn mir der velt matones!
איך װעל אַ זמרל דיר זינגען גאָטעניו!
איך װעל דיר זינגען פֿון דײַן שוסטערל;
גײט אַ שוסטערל אין װעג באַגינען,
— שוסטערל, מײַן שוסטערל, װוּ גײסטו?
— איך גײ, איך גײ
פֿאַר װײַב און קינד אױף ברױט פֿאַרדינען.
— שוסטערל, מײַן שוסטערל, װאָס נײסטו!
— איך נײ, איך נײ
פֿאַר מענטשן אָרעמע טשאָבאָטעס;
גאָטס קינדער גײען, נעבעך, באָרװעס,
און די װעלט איז פֿול מיט בלאָטעס.
איך װעל אַ זמרל דיר זינגען, גאָטעניו!
איך װעל דיר זינגען פֿון דײַן סוחרל:
פֿאָרט אַ סוחרל אין װעג באַגינען.
— סוחרל, מײַן סוחרל, װוּ פֿאָרסטו?
— איך פֿאָר, איך פֿאָר,
גאָטס בידנע מענטשן צו באַדינען.
— סוחרל, מײַן סוחרל, װאָס פֿירסטו?
— איך פֿיר, איך פֿיר
דעם שור הבר מיט דעם לװיתן,
גאָטס קינדער לײַדן, נעבעך, הונגער,
װעט אױף דער װעלט זײַן שׂימחה ושׂשׂון.
איך װעל אַ זמרל דיר זינגען גאָטעניו!
איך װעל דיר זינגען פֿון דײַן מלמדל:
יאָגט אַ מלמדל אין װעג באַגינען.
— מלמדל, מײַן מלמדל, װוּ יאָגסטו?
— איך יאָג, איך יאָג
דאָס האַרץ פֿון מענטשן צו געװינען.
— מלמדל, מײַן מלמדל, װאָס טראָגסטו?
איך טראָג, איך טראָג,
גאָטס תּורה טראָג איך שטאָלץ און מונטער,
עם זאָל די װעלט, די װעלט, חלילה,
פֿון דרך־הישר ניט אַרונטער.
איך װעל אַ זמרל דיר זינגען, גאָטעניו!
איך װעל דיר זינגען פֿון דײַן קלעזמערל:
שפּאַנט אַ קלעזמערל פֿאַרבענקט, באַגינען.
— קלעזמערל, מײַן קלעזמערל, װאָס ברענגסטו?
— איך ברענג, איך ברענג
דאָס פֿידעלע פֿון דוד המלך,
אַ לידעלע דער װעלט צו שפּילן,
אַז אױפֿן האַרצן זאָל װערן פֿרײלעך.
איך װעל אַ זמרל דיר זינגען, גאָטעניו!ּ
איך װעל דיר זינגען פֿון דײַנע ייִדעלעך:
לױפֿן ייִדעלעך, מיט פֿרײד, באַגינען.
— ייִדעלעך, גאָטס ייִדעלעך, װוּ לױפֿט איר?
— װאָס הײסט, װאָס הײסט?
דאָס לאַנד פֿון יום־טובֿ צו געפֿינען.
— ייִדעלעך, גאָטס ייִדעלעך, װאָס קױפֿט איר?
— װאָס הײסט, װאָס הײסט?
דאָס קױפֿן מיר דאָך שלח־מנות,
גאָטס מענטשן גרײטן זיך אױף יום־טובֿ,
צעטראָגן מיר דער װעלט מתּנות.
Song Title: Dem Baal Shem Tovs Zemerl
First published in 1988 as Pearls of Yiddish Song: Favorite Folk, Art and Theatre Songs, this anthology contains 115 songs. Some material had never been published, while others, included in rare song collections or sheet music, were largely inaccessible. The songs presented reflect Jewish life in Eastern Europe and the United States and depict childhood, love, family celebrations, poverty, work and struggle. There are also songs from the Hasidic and Maskilic movements, songs of Zion and of America, as well as songs from the Yiddish theater.
The title of this anthology derives from the weekly two-page feature column “Pearls of Yiddish Poetry,” which the compilers Yosl and Chana Mlotek initiated in 1970 in the Yiddish newspaper Der Forvertz (the Yiddish Daily Forward). Hundreds of readers from around the world — including authors, composers, singers, actors — became co-participants in this collective folk project and recalled melodies, lines, fragments, stanzas and their variants of songs, poems, and plays which they had heard in their youth. At first, readers sent in only written material. Later, they also taped songs on cassettes, many of whose melodies had, until then, never been recorded. They also identified and supplied missing information regarding lyricists, poets, and composers and described the circumstances surrounding the songs’ origins, their dissemination, diffusion and impact.
