Researching Yiddish penny songs (tenement song broadsides of theater and variety show songs, 1895-1925)
Index of songs on this site
Youtube: all the Penny Songs I've recorded so far (with subtitles)

About this project ♦ ♦ About Jane Peppler
List of the still-lost songs: do you know any of them?
Search the blog:

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula (Hawaiian Love Song) in YIDDISH. Yes, really.

UPDATE: Incredibly, available at the FAU site is another, DIFFERENT song (different melody and different lyrics), recorded by Jacob and Rose Silbert in 1916, called Der Yiddisher Yakahula Hickadula

In the Yiddish Penny Songs collection, among all the sad songs about death and labor movement struggles, there are a few outliers, and this is definitely one of them. Morris Rund wrote Yiddish lyrics to this song, in Yiddish it's Yaki Dula. It might be the most ridiculous song I've ever recorded.

The original song, with music by Pete Wendling and lyrics by E. Ray Goetz and Joe Young, was sung by Al Jolson in his show Robinson Crusoe, Jr. which opened at the Winter Garden Theater in February of 1916. You can also hear it as sung by Collins and Harlan on the Library of Congress Jukebox.

According to Wikipedia, in the show a millionaire falls asleep and dreams of going to Crusoe's island, with Al Jolson his chauffeur (in blackface) as his man Friday. There is a haunted forest and a pirate ship crewed by chorus girls. And this ludicrous song.




Here's my quick-and-dirty translation from the Yiddish:

Folks, hear the news, it's nothing bad
Boys and girls are all singing it these days:
Yaaka hula hickey dula, yaaka hula hickey du
Wherever you go, on every street
These days Jews and Christians are singing this song:
Yaaka hula hickey dula, yaaka hula hickey du
When a cantor is practicing for Yom Kippur, listen:
He's singing Unsane Tokef with this melody:
Yaaka hula hickey dula, yaaka hula hickey du


On Norfolk Street and Suffolk Street
And Avenue A and East Broadway, hear the cry!
Just about every single Jew is singing this song now,
with a yaaka hula hickey dula du

The landlord comes and growls at me:
"What about my rent?" I answer him:
Yaaka hula hickey dula, yaaka hula hickey du
The butcher finds me and gives me his bill
I tell him a secret! I say very quietly:
Yaaka hula hickey dula, yaaka hula hickey du
My wife doesn't cook me suppers any more
When I get home she raises the issue:
Yaaka hula hickey dula, yaaka hula hickey du

Sadie got herself snarled in a real life novel
She got to know a boy and fell in love
Yaaka hula hickey dula, yaaka hula hickey du
Every night late, after ten, when the lights are turned off
Her boy used to take her upstairs
Yaaka hula hickey dula, yaaka hula hickey du
Suddenly Sadie wasn't seeing him any more
He went away and left her with this:
Yaaka hula hickey dula, yaaka hula hickey du

Here is the weird and wonderful original: Van and Schenck sing "Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula (Hawaiian Love Song)" 1916



For sheet music and/or performances contact me: jane@mappamundi.com

Labels: , ,

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home