Folksong published in Leye Bloch-Lederer, Di shenste geklibene yidishe lider,1992. There are different words in Nokhem Shakhnovski’s Lidergezungen funem folk, Paris, 1958. The song was parodied in the Warsaw Ghetto: “In dzhoynt kumt tsu geyn a yid” (A Jew comes to the Joint [Joint Distribution Committee]).
Let’s sing a little song together, children;
A happy little tune with words that rhyme.
Mother is cooking noodle soup, with kasha in the matzo balls.
When the Hanukkah holiday comes, we’ll play with dreydls.
Tshiribim, tshiribam. . .
Once our dear rabbi was traveling on the road,
When a sudden downpour began.
The rabbi cried out to the clouds:
Stop pouring out water!
So all the Hassidim came out dry,
But the rabbi came out wet.
Tshiribim, tshiribam. . .
They say the town of Chelm produces only fools.
If we are the smart ones, then we play the part well.
We laughed day and night despite the robbers.
So tell me, who are the fools and who the wise ones?
Tshiribim, tshiribam. . .
Lomir zingen, kinderlekh,
A zemerl tsuzamen,
A nigndl a freylekhn
Mit verter vos es gramen.
Di mame kokht a lokshn-zup,
Mit kashe in di kneydlekh,
Vet kumen der yomtev khanike,
Vein mir shpiln zikh in dreydlekh.
Tshiribim, tshiribam. . .
A mol iz undzer rebenyu
Gegangen unter vegn,
Mit a mol fangt on tsu plyukhenen,
Gisn, oy, a regn.
Shrayt der rebe tsu der khmare:
Her oyf gisn vaser.
Zaynen ale khsidim trukn aroys,
Nor der rebe iz aroys a naser.
Tshiribim, tshiribam. . .
Me zogt az in dem shtetl khelm
Vaksn nor naronim,
Oyb mir zaynen di klige,
Hobn mir a sheynem ponem.
lkh her nor lakhn tog un nakht,
Tsu k>khes di gazlonim,
Zogt ver zaynen di narishe,
Ver zaynen di khakhomim.
Tshiribim, tshiribam. . .
לאָמיר זינגען, קינדערלעך,
אַ זמרל צוזאַמען,
א ניגונדל אַ פֿרײלעכן
מיט װערטער װאָס עס גראַמען.
די מאַמע קאָכט אַ לאָקשן זופֿ,
מיט קאַשע אין די קנײדלעך,
װעט קומען דער יום-טובֿ חנוכּה,
װעלן מיר שפֿילן זיך אין דרײדלעך.
טשיריבים, טשיריבאַם. . .
אַ מאָל איז אונדזער רביניו
געגאַנגען אונטער װעגן,
מיט אַ מאָל פֿאַנגט אָן צו פּליוכענען,
גיסן, אױ, אַ רעגן.
שרײַט דער רבי צו דער כמאַרע:
הער אױף גיסן װאַסער.
זײַנען אַלע חסידים טרוקן אַרױס,
נאָר דער רבי איז אַרױס אַ נאַסער,
טשיריבים, טשיריבאַם. . .
מיזאָגט אַז אין דעם שטעטל כעלעם
װואַקסן נאָר נאָראָנים,
אוב מיר זײַנען די קליגע,
האָבן מיר אַ שײנעם פּנים.
איך הער נאָר לאַכן טאָג און נאַכט,
צו להכעיס די גזלנים,
זאָגט װער זײַנען די נאַרישע,
װער זײַנען די חכמים,
טשיריבים, טשיריבאַם. . .
Song Title: Tshiribim
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.”
