Researching Yiddish penny songs (tenement song broadsides of theater and variety show songs, 1895-1925)
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Youtube: all the Penny Songs I've recorded so far (with subtitles)
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List of the still-lost songs: do you know any of them?
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We see from the sheet music, copyright 1905 by Theodore Lohr on Eldridge Street, that the song was in a show by George Zeikin called Di Yerushe (or Yerusche as they spell it) in the Kalich Theatre.

They spell the title "In dem is shuldig nur mein nas" on the cover and inside, on the first page, "In dem is shildig nur mein nus."

The music is by Perlmutter & Wohl; the words are by S. Smulewitz.

Mr. Kestin - the singer credited on the broadside - is also aka (pictured) Sam Kesten. Kesten/Kestin was a well-known Yiddish theater star: when the ur- Actors Union - called the "Hebrew Theatrical Cousins" - was founded in 1917, he was made the first Vice-President.


September 7 1917, from The American Jewish Chronicle:

The star comedian of the National Theatre, Sam Kestin, has joined the cast of the People's Theatre and ... Those who, for one reason or another, must abstain from laughing, should not see Kestin at the People's Theatre, as it would be too much for them.

Pesach Burstein wrote about his own appearance in The Girl of Yesterday and Genayvishe Liebe (Love among thieves):

The cast included Sam Kestin with his shock of white hair, one of the finest song-and-dance men.

Now, about the song: curiously, on the Mendele list in 1998 Chana Mlotek wrote:

There is a song "Shuldik in dem iz nor mayn noz" about a "katar" that Molly Picon sang.

That's interesting, because this song is definitely not about having a cold, it's about being embarrassed about having a big [Jewish] nose. Were there two songs with such similar names? Or did Molly Picon rewrite the lyrics to be less offensive, or more suitable for her show?


This is the first of the Penny Songs I've recorded in a long time. I was really resistant to the lyrics, but they seem important. The whole subject of self-hating Jews, internalized caricatures, and the reality of anti-semitism and, uh, lookism (I didn't know that was a word until I just googled it) is beyond my pay grade (my pay grade is about $0.03 per hour).

Anyway, here's my recording of the song, make of it what you will. (Click the image to listen.)


Here is a transcription of the Yiddish lyrics and my translation into English:

Vu ikh zol geyn, vu ikh zol shteyn
Dergeyt men mir biz'n tsenten beyn.
Men shpast fun mir, un freg farvos?
S'gefelt zey nit mayn noz
Men lakht mikh oys, mayn tsar iz groys,
Ikh shem zikh geyn in gas aroys
Ven ikh volt keyn noz gehat,
Getantst volt ikh kemat.
S'hot mayn noz a toyzend nemen,
Khoytem, shoyfer, horen, horn,
Un ikh halt zikh in eyn klemen
Biz af zikh in tsarn
Kh'volt gekent zi vu farzetsn
oder nor bagrobn;
Volt men mir gants anders shetsn,
un tsu mir nit hobn.
Kh'volt zayn gants raykh
mit layten gor tsuglaykh

In dem iz shuldik nor mayn noz, nor mayn noz ikh veys dos
Ven mayn shmeker git a shmek, loyft men fun mir avek
Gevald, vos vil mayn noz fun mir!
S'flamt mayn ponim on a shir!
Kh'ken nit kumen tsu keyn breg,
vil mayn noz shteht mir in veg.

2
In park bay nakht hob ikh farbrakht
Bakantshaft mit a moyd gemakht.
Yo, iz geven i klug, i fayn,
gekent hot zi zayn mayn.
Vi eydl,net hot zi geredt,
Farbrakht mit ir hob ikh gants shpet
Finster iz di nakht gevent, zi hot mikh nit gezen,
Zi zogt tsu mir zi zukht keyn glikn
Kukt nit af keyn sheynheyt
Trayheyt zukhn ire blikn
Erlekhkeyt un eynheyt
Trakht ikh zikh ot zi iz rikhtik
mir a gots matone
Endlekh iz gevorn likhtik
ze derzet mayn nonie
A shpring geton! Ikh zeh zi mer nit on

Wherever I go people torment me to my
limit
They make fun of me, and you ask why?
They don't like my nose.
They laugh at me, I'm so sad,
I'm embarrassed to go out in the street.
If I didn't have this nose, I'd practically want to dance.
My nose has a thousand names:
Shnozz, snout [actually, shofar, the ram's horn blown for Rosh Hashanah], honker...
I'm always distressed until, in misery,
I wish I could put it in jail or bury it,
Then people would value me more and they wouldn't have anything against me.
I'd be so rich, the equal of all respectable people...

It's just my nose's fault, my nose is to blame, I know that
When my sniffer sniffs, people run from me.
Gevald, what does my nose want from me?
I'm blushing all the time.
I can't come to the edge of anything,
my nose wants to get in the way.

I was having a good time in the park at night
Getting to know a girl.
Yes, it was clever and fine, she wanted to be mine.
How elegant and genteel her speech!
She enjoyed herself with me until it was very late.
The night was dark, she couldn't see me...
She told me she wasn't looking for luck or beauty,
just faithfulness, honesty and unity.
I think to myself, in this she's right.
She's God's gift to me!
Finally it was dawn
and she saw my bulbous nose.
She jumped up!
I never set eyes on her again.

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

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Labels: battle between the sexes, love, morality, sarcasm