Popular song by Adolf King, copyright October 23, 1922, published in sheet music by Saul Schenker, N.Y., 1924, in 1922 Rumanian folk poet Shimshon Fersht published a parody about card players entitled “A matone far di korfn-shpllers” (A present for card players). The text here was transcribed from a version recorded by Aaron Lebedeff. The song was recorded recently by the Kapelye Ensemble.
In 90 geklibene yidishe folkslider (Warsaw, 1926), there are other rhymes: “Oy, di rebetsn, oy iz dos a rebetsn/ Vu zi geyt un vu zi shteyt/ iz zi mole-kheyn./ Un der rebe heybt di pole/ Un di khsidim zingen ale…/ Un di khsidim mit di lokn/ Tantsn arum mit di vayse zokn.” (Oh, the Rabbi’s wife, when she walks and when she stands, she is full of charm. And when the Rabbi raises his coat, all the Hassidim sing . . . And the Hassidim with their earlocks dance around in their white socks.).
The music appears in a manuscript of the operetta Rebeka, staged in 1937 in Lodz, Poland (G. Zarzhevsky Collection of YIVO). Most recently, it was recorded as “Di Rebitsin” by Yiddish Art Trio.
Shh, shh, be quiet,
the Rebbe is coming from shul.
Shh, shh, and here he is,
a blessing!
Shh, shh, just look, Hassidim,
the Rebetsin (Rebbe’s wife) comes walking.
Shh, shh, just notice
how exquisitely she smiles.
Oh, the Rebetsin,
now that’s a Rebetsin!
How she walks in style
home from the shul.
Hassidim, students,
dance and sing, facing her,
now that’s a Rebetsin!
I should be so lucky!
Large and small
ought to come see her,
lovely like a braided Purim loaf.
Now that’s a Rebetsin!
I should be so lucky!
Shh, shh, just listen, Hassidim,
oh, oh, the Rebbe is thinking up
a new Shabes song.
Oh, this is going to be good.
Shh, shh, the Rebbe is singing
ay, ay, the goblet is ringing,
sh, sh, the Rebetsin
is singing along with him.
Oh, the Rebetsin,
now that’s a Rebetsin!
Like a little Torah, a fine creature,
she shines like a menorah,
Now that’s a Rebetsin!
I should be so lucky!
Shh, shh, be quiet,
night is falling,
the Rebbe is blessing the wine.
Shh, shh, just listen, Hassidim,
with the proper spirit.
Shh, shh, they’re bringing
ay-ay, gefilte fish to the table.
Shh, shh, the Rebetsin
is serving it to everyone.
Oh, the Rebetsin,
now that’s a Rebetsin!
A little jewel, a dear little Shprintse,
a little dairy blintz.
Now that’s a Rebetsin!
I should be so lucky!
Shh, shh, just be quiet, Hassidim,
the Rebbe is full.
Shh, shh, the Rebbe is saying the blessings
loudly, ecstatically.
Shh, shh, the Rebbe is dancing
with his eyes gleaming.
Shh, shh, the Rebetsin
is dancing with him, too.
Oh, the Rebetsin,
now that’s a Rebetsin!
like Passover china (lit. “pitcher”),
like a noodle kugel,
Now that’s a Rebetsin!
I should be so lucky!
Sha-sha, es zol zayn shtil,
Der rebe geyt fun shil,
Sha-sha, er iz shoyn do
In a guter sho.
Sha-sha, nor, khsidim zet,
Di rebetsn, zi geyt,
Sha-sha, nor, kukt aykh ayn
Vi zi shmeykhlt fayn.
Oy, di rebetsn,
Oy, iz dos a rebetsn,
Vi zi geyt azoy breyt
Fun der shil aheym.
Khasidimlekh, talmidimlekh
Tantsn, zingen kegn ir,
Oy, iz dos a rebetsn,
Aza yor oyf mir!
Groys un kleyn,
Zol zi zen,
Vi a purim-koyletsh sheyn.
Oy, iz dos a rebetsn,
Aza yor oyf mir!
Sha-sha, nor, khsidim hert,
Oy-oy, der rebe klert,
A naye zemerl,
Oy, vet dos zayn git.
Sha-sha, der rebe zingt,
Ay-ay, di koyse klingt,
Sha-sha, di rebetsn
Zingt es mit im mit.
Oy di rebetsn,
Oy, iz dos a rebetsn. . .
A toyrele, a boyrele,
Zi shaynt vi a menoyrele,
Oy, iz dos a rebetsn,
Aza yor oyf mir!
Sha-sha, es vert shoyn nakht,
Der rebe kidesh makht,
Sha-sha, nor, khsidim hert
Mit kavone fayn.
Sha-sha, men trogt tsum tish
Ay-ay, gefilte fish,
Sha-sha, di rebetsn
Teylt ayedn ayn.
Oy, di rebetsn,
Oy, iz dos a rebetsn. . .
A tsatskele, a shprintsele,
A milkhedike blintsele,
Oy, iz dos a rebetsn,
Aza yor oyf mir!
Sha-sha, nor, khsidim shat
Der rebe iz shoyn zat,
Sha-sha, der rebe bentsht
Mit hislaves hoykh.
Sha-sha, der rebe tantst,
Bay im di oygn glantst,
Sha-sha, di rebetsn
Tantst dokh mit im oykh.
Oy, di rebetsn,
Oy, iz dos a rebetsn. . .
A peysakhdike krigele
Vi a lokshn-kigele,
Oy, iz dos a rebetsn,
Aza yor oyf mir!
שאַ, שאַ, עם זאָל זײַן שטיל,
דער רבי גײט פֿון שיל,
שאַ־שאַ, ער איז שױן דאָ
אין אַ גוטער שעה.
שאַ־שאַ, נאָר, חסידים, זעט
די רביצין, זי גײט,
שאַ־שאַ נאָר, קוקט אײַך אײַן
װי זי שמײכלט פֿײַן.
אױ, די רביצין,
אױ, איז דאָס אַ רביצין,
װי זי גײט אַזױ ברײט
פֿון דער שיל אַהײם,
חסידימלעך, תּלמידימלעך
טאַנצן, זינגען קעגן איר,
אױ, איז דאָס אַ רביצין,
אַזאַ יאָר אױף מיר!
גרױס און קלײן,
איר זאָלט זי זען,
װי אַ פּורים־קױלעטש שײן.
אױ, איז דאָס אַ רביצין,
אַזאַ יאָר אױף מיר!
שאַ־שאַ, נאָר, חסידים, הערט,
אױ־אױ, דער רבי קלערט,
אַ נײַע זמרל,
אױ, װעט דאָס זײַן גיט.
שאַ־שאַ, דער רבי זינגט,
אײ־אײַ, די כּוסע קלינגט.
שאַ־שאַ, די רביצין
זינגט עס מיט אים מיט.
אױ, די רביצין,
אױ, איז דאָס אַ רביצין. . .
אַ תּורהלע, אַ בוראלע,
זי שײַנט װי א מנורהלע,
אױ, איז דאָס אַ רביצין,
אַזאַ יאָר אױף מיר!
שאַ־שאַ, עס װערט שױן נאַכט,
דער רבי קידוש מאַכט,
שאַ־שאַ, נאָר, חסידים, הערט
מיט כּװנה פֿײַן.
שאַ־שאַ, מען טראָגט צום טיש
אײ־אײַ, געפֿילטע פֿיש,
שאַ־שאַ, די רביצין
טײלט אַיעדן אײַן.
אױ, די רביצין,
די איז דאָס אַ רביצין. . .
אַ צאַצקעלע, אַ שפּרינצעלע,
אַ מילכעדיקע בלינצעלע,
אױ, איז דאָס אַ רביצין,
אַזאַ יאָר אױף מיר.
שאַ־שאַ, נאָר, חסידים, שאַט,
דער רבי איז שױן זאַט,
שאַ־שאַ, דער רבי בענטשט
מיט התלהבֿות הױך.
שאַ־שאַ, דער רבי טאַנצט,
בײַ אים די אױגן גלאַנצט,
שאַ־שאַ, די רביצין
טאַנצט דאָך מיט אים אױך.
אױ, די רביצין,
אױ, איז דאָס אַ רביצין. . .
אַ פּסחדיקע קריגעלע,
װי אַ לאָקשן־קיגעלע,
אױ, איז דאָס אַ רביצין,
אַזאַ יאָר אױף מיר!
Song Title: Sha, Sha, Es Zol Zayn Shtil
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.
