Researching Yiddish penny songs (tenement song broadsides of theater and variety show songs, 1895-1925)
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Friday, September 25, 2015

Di tsvey yesoymim (another song by the same name) - why two orphans? Why not three? Or four?

In a penny song Aviva Enoch and I previously recorded, Di yesoymim, there are also two orphans. It's always two. Except when it's one: Di libe fun a heyliker mame.

You'll find this song under the ghastly transliterations Zve isoimim and  zwei yusoimim.

I'm not recording this one because it's too shundy (trashy) even for me. It's set to the tune of A brivele der mamen, which I haven't recorded because it's been done so many times already -- but I did record another contrafactum to the same tune, In fremdn land.

A song with the title Di tsvey yesoymim was recorded by Joseph Feldman in 1916. There is also an Estella Schreiner recording by the same name from 1921, but it's a different song. If for some reason you want a translation let me know.

Transliteration after the jump.



Okh bruder mayn ikh shrayb tsu dir
A brif fun blut und trern
Ikh bet dikh: brider entfert mir
Loz mikh dayn nokhrikht hern
Okh bruder mayn shoyn yorn aza tsayt
Geshribn hob ikh nit tsu dir
Yetst bet ikh dir in shlog zikh al chet
Fartsayen zolstu es mir (excuse)
Mir zenen zhoyn a lange tsayt
Eyns fun tsveytn azoy vayt
Yetst shrayb mir bruder vi dir geht!

Fartsayen zolstu dayn bruder un im shrabn vider
Nakhrikht mir, bet ikh dir
Vos makht dayn vayb un kinder?
Dayn shraybn vet mikh bruder derlebn
Un ikh vel entfer gebn
Shrayb ikh bet vi dir geyt?
Ikh gris a yedn bazunder!

Ven ikh vel nor dayn shraybn zen
Farshvindn vet mayne shmertsn
Heyln vet mir di handshrift dayn
Di vundn bay mir in hertsn
Du veyst, bruder, ven ikh hob aykh farlozt
Mir glikn hob ikh forgeshtelt
Leyder hot dos mikh tayer gekost
Farlorn dos beste der velt
Di eltern un oykh fil fraynd
Zey rien shoyn in keyver haynt
Fun krenkung, bruder, mayn herts veynt!

Mir zenen yetst yesoymim tsvey
Di tate mame farlorn
Varum zol mir nit blaybn trey?
Un hot eyn muter geborn
Ikh bet bay dir mit shmertsn un geveyn
Ikh efn far dir mayn herts
Nishto keyn mentsh zol kenen farshteyn
Un filn mayn veytik un shmerts...
Yosem heys ikh veystu gut
Vayl eltern dos hob mir nit
Fartsayen bruder eygn blut!



a few keywords

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

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