Yiddish Penny Songs: Dem arbeters hand - a Yiddish labor movement song.

Judging by the preponderance of songs about workers' struggles, suffering, strikes, successes, and tragedies, this was a very popular topic among the Yiddish song peddlers' customers. I've recorded a few but I'll only do either of these if somebody specifically wants them for some reason. Also, if you want translations let me know.

Dem arbeters hand (The worker's hand) was written by A. Mesco and J. Dawidoff and was published in 1909 by S. Goldberg of Grand Street. The sheet music is available at the Library of Congress site: Dem Arbeiter's Hand.

I've included the pages from the American Yiddish Penny Songs collection below (click for a larger view). Notice that Morris Rund's face is plastered huge in the middle of the page, with his self-promoting "Various songs for peddling can be received from Morris Rund and David Berkowitz at 62 Allen Street" though he did not write the song. The advertisement is from mind-reader "Professor Jacobs" and says "It's Never Too Late."

Here's the text:
Zog mir, du arbeter, entfer mir dokh: ven vestu dervakhn fun shlof?
Vi lang vestu trogn dem shrekhlekhn yokh, oy ven vet shoyn nemen a sof?

Varum zol dayn fleysh zayn farrekhnt vi holtz,
Dayn blut nor vi vaser batrakht?
Vi lang vet men roybn dayn rekht un dayn shtolts?
Oy tsayg shoyn a mol oykh dayn makht!

Bruderl mayn genug dir shoyn zayn a shklaf nor geshtemplt mit shand.
Heyb uf dayn kop dem yokh varf arop
Es lebn dem arbeters hand! (2x)

Du arbetst, geplogter, vi tog azoy nakht far yene vos tuen keyn zakh.
Un lebn in luksus zey lebn in prakht un du host keyn broyt un keyn dakh!
Okh, oytsres, milyonen du oremer knekht hostu nor far fremde gemakht!
Vi lang vet men roybn dayn teyl un dayn rekht?
Oy tsayg shoyn a mol oykh dayn makht!

Dayn hand un dayn moyekh, dayn gayst un dayn leyb
Dos nemen nor fremde avek
Un dayn oremer kind un dayn oremer vayb zey shmakhtn un laydn a shrek!
Vi lang vet zayn bilik dayn shveys un dayn blut?
Vi lang vestu blaybn farshklaft?
Vi lang vet men roybn dayn loyn un dayn gut?
Oy, tsayg shoyn a mol oykh dayn kraft!

Du arbetst in minen, du arbetst dos land
Du akerst, du zeest un du shnaydtst
Du traybst di mashinen, es rut nit dayn hand
Du frierst, un hungerst un laydst!
Du shpinst un du vebst, du knest oykh dem leym,
Du boyest paleste a prakht
Dokh hostu far zikh nit keyn kleyd un keyn heym
Oy, tsayg shoyn a mol oykh dayn kraft!