Words and music by Max Perlman for the play “A Honeymoon in Israel.” Published in 1962.
For uncounted eons since the world began,
Man has made a demand.
Riches, wealth, that’s his desire.
No matter how much he has, he wants more.
And no matter how long the game goes on.
Why does a man need so much?
Refrain:
I don’t want much, not much,
Just a little.
Who needs to flaunt one’s wealth?
I don’t want much, not much,
Just a little.
I seek no honors, no money.
For life passes away,
It’s just a child’s game.
Let things go as they will who needs to worry so much.
l don’t want much, not much,
Just a little, Oh!
To live peacefully in the world.
Nations these days want to rule the world.
They plan wars just to make money.
For me, my tiny country is sufficient.
I don’t want to be mighty by shedding blood,
Just to live honorably as a Jew.
Shoyn fun eybik on, zint di velt eksistirt,
Hot zikh der mentsh a farlang ayngefirt,
Raykhtum, ashires, dos iz zayn bager,
Un vifl er hot, vil er hobn alts mer.
Un vi lang halt on di gantse shpil,
lz tsu vos dart a mentsh azoy fil?
Refrain:
Kh’vil nisht keyn sakh, nisht keyn sakh,
Nor a bisele,
Ver darf aynraysn di velt?
Kh’vil nisht keyn sakh, nisht keyn sakh,
Nor a bisele,
Kh’zukh keyn koved, nisht keyn gelt.
Yo, vayl dos lebn fargeyt,
S’iz dokh nor a kinder-shpil,
Zol es geyn vi es geyt,
Ver dart hobn azoy fil?
Kh’vil nisht keyn sakh, nisht keyn sakh,
Nor a bisele, oy!
Lebn ruik oyf der velt.
Es viln haynt felker bahershn di velt,
M’greyt tsu milkhomes tsu makhn nor gelt.
Moykhl di toyves un moykhl dos glik,
Far mir iz mayn kleyntshinke land oykh genig*.
Kh’vil nit zayn mekhtik durkh blit,**
Nor lebn bekoved als yid.
* genug
** blut
שױן פֿון אײביק אָן, זינט די װעלט עקסיסטירט
האָט זיך דער מענטש אַ פֿאַרלאַנג אײַנגעפֿירט,
רײַכטום, עשירות, דאָס איז זײַן באַגער,
און װיפֿל ער האָט, װיל ער האָבן אַלץ מער.
און װי לאַנג האַלט אָן זי גאַנצע שפּיל,
איז צו װאָס דאַרף אַ מענטש אַזױ פֿיל.
רעפֿרײן:
כ׳װיל נישט קײן סך, נישט קײן סך,
נאָר אַ ביסעלע,
װער דאַרף אײַנרײַסן די װעלט,
כ׳װיל נישט קײן סך, נישט קײן סך,
נאָר אַ ביסעלע,
כ׳זוך קײן כּבֿוד, נישט קײן געלט,
יאָ, װײַל דאָס לעבן פֿאַרגײט,
ס׳איז דאָך נאָר אַ קינדער־שפּיל,
זאָל עס גײן װי עס גײט,
װער דאַרף האָבן אַזױ פֿיל?
כ׳װיל נישט קײן סך, נישט קײן סך,
נאָר אַ ביסעלע, אױ!
לעבן רויִק אױף דער װעלט.
עס װילן הײַנט פֿעלקער באַהערשן די װעלט,
מ׳גרײט צו מלחמות צו מאַכן נאָר געלט,
מוחל די טובֿות און מוחל דאָס גליק,
פֿאַר מיר איז מײַן קלײנטשינקע לאַנד אױך גענוג,
כ׳װיל ניט זײַן מעכטיק דורך בלוט,
נאָר לעבן בכּבֿוד אַלס ייִד.
Song Title: Kh’vil Nisht Keyn Sakh Nor A Bisele
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.”
