Yiddish Penny Songs: Fraytik af der nakht (one of the American Yiddish Penny Songs) (was Fraytig oyf der nakht)

In the Mlotek's Songs of Generations: New Pearls of Yiddish Song they note this song "first appeared in 1905 in sheet music without attribution to any author or composer." The sheet music, entitled Freitag auf der nacht and printed in London, England, attributes the arrangement to Fardinand Staub but does not give a composer. You'll also see fraytig, fraytog, etc.

(N.B. this is not the song by the same name composed by Nochem Sternheim.)

The words as printed in the sheet music are close to some of the words I learned at KlezKamp in the 1980s and which I recorded with pianist Aviva Enoch at our first concert in 2010 (click the picture to hear the youtube video):

Here's the broadside, click it for a larger view. The lyrics are exactly as printed in the sheet music.

The political cartoon which appears at the bottom of the songsheet is unrelated to the song but appears on the same page. It's signed by Romanian-born Sani Sapira (Sani Shapiro), publisher of most of these penny song broadsides.

Transliteration and translation are below. I have had it beat into me that "af" is now considered far preferable to "oyf" in transliteration but you won't find that choice in any records more than a few years old. I've used several variations to help in web searches. I think all the laughing inanimate objects are just there to rhyme with nakht and add a general air of jollity.

Fraytik af der nakht, az ikh kum nor fun di shul tsu geyn
Shteyt mayn vaybele un lakht, oy zi iz mole-kheyn

Un di bulkelekh tsugedekt mit a servetele vos es lakht
Nor a yidele veyst vi es shmekt, um fraytig af der nakht
Nokh dem kidesh a shtikele fish vos mayn vaybele hot aleyn gemakht
Zi iz verth in piskele a kish, um fraytik af der nakht

Oy fraytog af der nakht iz a yeder yid a melekh
In a yedn vinkele lakht di gantse shtub iz freylekh

Nokh di lokshen mit yoykh dos shtikele fleysh iz oykh zeyer gut
Dem tam fil ikh oykh vayl ikh bin a yid
Nokh dem tsimes a glezene vayn, dos hot keyn nar nit oysgetrakht
Un zikh leygn in bet arayn, um fraytig af der nakht
Un men shloft zikh oys zeyer gut, es iz poshet nor a prakht
Oy vi gut iz tsu zayn a yid, um fraytig oyf der nakht

Orem oder raykh, a yeder zingt tsum esn tsu
Damols iz yeder glaykh, biz zontig in der fri
Dernokh heybt zikh vider on naye zorgn gor a sakh
Yeder hot far zikh tsu ton, biz fraytik af der nakht
Oy do vert yeder mid, vayl er klert nor un trakht
Nor dos eyne glik hot der yid, dem fraytog oyf der nakht.

Friday night as soon as I come home from shul
My wife is standing and laughing, she is so charming,
And the yeast rolls covered with a laughing napkin,
Only a Jew knows how it smells on Friday night.
After the kiddush, a bit of fish my wife herself prepared
She deserves a kiss on her little mouth on Friday night.

Friday night every Jew is a king
There's laughter in every corner, the whole house is happy.

After the noodles, a bit of meat is also very good.
The flavor, I experience it too, because I'm a Jew.
After the pudding a little glass of wine, whoever thought this up was no fool
And to lie in bed on Friday night!
And to sleep as much as you like, it's so good, it's simply splendid!
Oy, how good it is to be a Jew on Friday night.

Poor or rich, everybody sings while eating,
Then everybody is equal, until Sunday morning.
After that, tons of new worries start up once more;
Each has his own duties to take care of until Friday night.
Oy, here every Jew becomes tired, because he thinks and thinks.
Only one single joy does the Jew have: Friday night.

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

Labels: food, holidays, love, nostalgia, religion

Monday, October 12, 2015

Fraytik af der nakht (one of the American Yiddish Penny Songs) (was Fraytig oyf der nakht)

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