Researching Yiddish penny songs (tenement song broadsides of theater and variety show songs, 1895-1925)
Index of songs on this site
Youtube: all the Penny Songs I've recorded so far (with subtitles)
About this project ♦ ♦ About Jane Peppler
List of the still-lost songs: do you know any of them?
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Womens suffrage was not an easy sell in misogynistic America. The suffragettes struggled year after year and were not successful in getting the right to vote until 1920.

In the Gimpel Beynish cartoons, Gimpel (a matchmaker by trade) ends up working for the ladies because he needs a buck. But he isn't happy about it as you can see from this image.

I believe part of why Yiddish songs from the early twentieth century are not beloved is because they are so misogynistic.

Here's the song, from 1916, sung by Gus Goldstein. On the record the transliteration is Frouen recht.


The interesting word barayen: What I found online was "Luxembourgish / Old High German bihriuwan; regret. German bereuen regret, repent, rue.

The interesting lyrics of the song, with my translation, after the jump. Before that I just want to dump a bunch of cool images on the subject. There are multiple dissertations waiting to be written.






There's lots of news these days, I don't think it's so bad
The women want to be equal to men, they're struggling for a lot of rights
All sorts of women from all races are thinking up plans
They're running around making speeches in the streets
They want to strike against the men
And they cry out: "Just try it --
If not, you'll regret it!"

Follow this good plan, don't listen too much to your husband
lest you be afraid things will go badly for you
As soon as he comes home late pop him in the teeth
Hold your head up high, cry out:
Long live women's rights!

We'll have all the power, we'll keep men just for fun
We'll come home from the salon past midnight, dead drunk
We won't be slaves any more, as we are now
Because we don't find that palatable at all
The men will have the kids for us
We'll pat our bellies
Women, girls, do you want to be happy?
Listen to what I tell you:

When Election time comes, we'll have it in our hands
300 kisses per woman will give us the presidency
We won't care about tall or short because we have good principles
We'll just vote for the one who's prettier and who can advance us farther
Officers will kick the bucket, they'll go walking with them

Women will be police officers, two or three on every corner
When a thief falls into their hands, If he just gives a kiss he's free
There's one thing about the plans these days that's not so good
It aggrieves our hearts
If we strike against the men too much they'll hire scabs
We need to experiment and study carefully
But not lose heart

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

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Labels: battle between the sexes, history, morality, politics, sarcasm, womens rights