Yiddish Penny Songs: Di mume glikele (Lady Luck)

This is the tune to which another Yiddish Penny Song lyric is set: Mayn vaybl Sorele. While I was working on that other song, I thought I'd post the original.

Di mume glikele is from the show Di almone (The Widow), "successfully produced at the Kalich Theatre" according to the sheet music, music by Perlmutter and Wohl, words by Anshel Schor.

Here's the video, made from a 1908 recording by Beny Abelmann (also Beni and Benny and Abelman):

In the sheet music (where the spelling is Die müme Glückele) the text is not given in Hebrew characters; I decided to use the original Germanic transliteration for the video. Nikolai Borodulin was kind enough to help me untangle the Datshmerish text

The original transliteration and my translation after the jump.

Ich hob gekent a groben jing
A shtievel pitzer amul geven
Vus in der kurt in chitz alding
Asa mien letz hot men hit gesehn
Nor plitzem hebt er un gur datsh
Zu shmiesen in men sugt him shon nuch shvochim
Fin alle zures vill er shon visen
In vert shon gur a ganzer chuchem
In a shale sich a jeder shteltI
Vie kimt dos vus er brent a velt
Nor alles farenfert sein gelt

Veil die mieme glikele spielt ihm zi a shtikele
Sitzt sich breitlich avek gesetzt
dem tachshed beider seit
Kom hot men nor a shtikele
Fin der mieme glikele
Meg men sein a proster gurnit vert men shon oich a leit

Ich hob gekent du Meidlech zwei
Zusamen hoben sei ferbracht
Gevehn is eine shehn fin sei
Die zveite miess vie die Nacht
Mit ein Jingen Man senin beide gegangen
In geliebt sich in Chawriesse khavruse
Noch der shehner hot er sich Pushit gehangen
Nor chassene gehat mit der Miesse
Ich bin gebliben nor azoj vie dill
Erklert mir mein freind in der Still
Sie hot geld Brieder duss vus ich vill.

Ich hob gekent a Jungen Man
Wus hot genimen a Reiche Majd
Bekimen hot er dem Nadan
In aveg gechapt hot sie der tojt
Kaum is er die Shlojahim iber gekimen
Stelt er shojn a Naje Chipe
Er hot a frishen Nadan genimen
Bei dem zweiten weib der klipe
Nor Hert vus hot getrofen Hert
Die zweite ligt shojn auch in der Erd
In auf a Dritter mein Bucher jezt klehrt

I knew a coarse young man, he used to be a bootblack
In playing cards and everything else you never saw such a buffoon
But suddenly he's a modern fellow, people compliment him quite a bit
He wants to know about everything and be a bigshot
So we're all asking ourselves, how'd he get to be such a nabob?
The answer is: his money.

Because Lady Luck favors him a bit
She sits comfortably on both sides
of this exemplary guy.
As soon as Lady Luck smiles on you,
You may be an oaf, a nothing, suddenly you're a fine fellow.

I knew two maidens here, they spent time together
One was beautiful, the second ugly as the night.
Both went out with the same young man
All three loved each other in a gang
He hung around with the pretty one
But he married the ugly one
I was almost crazy
My friend said in a quiet moment
She has money, brother, that's what I want.

I knew a young man who took a rich girl.
He got the dowry and death swept her away.
Barely is the 30 day mourning period over when
He gets married again and receives a fresh dowry.
from the second wife, that harridan
But hear what happened:
The second is already lying in the earth, too,
And my boy now is thinking about a third.

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

Labels: battle between the sexes, male chauvinism, marriage, mores

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Di mume glikele (Lady Luck) - sung by Beny Abelmann 1908

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