Yiddish Penny Songs: Tsores iz keyn dayge nit from the Professor Horowitz opera יציאת מצרים

This song is transliterated as Zores is kain daige nit and Zores is kain dauge nit and, horrendously in the 1903 edition, Zures is kein dange nit.

The show it's from: the "Professor" Moses Horowitz opera יציאת מצרים (Exodus) is transliterated Yzias Mizrajum and Yzias mizrajim.

I had an edition which said the show was staged in 1920, but it must have been a revival, because the original music was printed in 1903 and Horwitz died in 1910.

On the front cover of the 1921 edition it says the words are by Professor Horowitz and the music is by Perlmutter and Wohl, but inside it says "by Anshel Shor."

There is a third verse but as it is 100% knee-jerk misogyny, I omitted it. If you must sing about wives with big noses and no money, go find the sheet music at the Library of Congress site and sing it yourself.

Here is the version I did today:

Translation and transliteration after the jump.

Tsores iz keyn dayge nit

Mayns a fraynd hot mir dertseylt az vos er darf rak im felt
Es geyt im in zayn lebn nit git un vos der darf hot er nit.
Er hot keyn ru er hot keyn freyd er hot keyn shu er hot keyn kleyd
Er hot keyn lebn er hot keyn toyt er hot keyn heym er hot keyn broyt.
Er hot keyn vayb er hot keyn kind. Er hot keyn mazl er hot keyn gezint.
Er hot keyn koved, er hot keyn gelt, er hot nit di, nit yene velt!

Dokh vet ir zen yeder kaptsn shtendik lakht un kvelt
Un iz tomid freylekh af yedn shrit un trit.
Ikh, zogt er, hob in d'rerd afile di gantse velt
Vayl ikh veys nor hulye kaptsn tsores iz keyn dayge nit.

Kumt tsum oreman in shtib iz vist un ler vi in a grib
Er firt zeyer a groyshartik hoyz nor a shtikl broyt felt im oys
Er hot keyn tir er hot keyn dakh er hot keyn bet er hot keyn zakh
Er hot keyn zeyger er hot keyn shpigl er hot keyn kishen er hot keyn shpigl
Er hot keyn khale er hot keyn tish er hot keyn fleysh er hot keyn fish
er hot keyn fefer er hot keyn zalts, er hot keyn puter er hot keyn shmalts.

Troubles are nothing to worry about

A friend of mine told me he lacked everything he should have
Things aren't going well in his life, and he doesn't have what he needs.
He has no peace, he has no happiness, he has no shoes, he has no clothes.
He has no life, he has no death, he has no home, he has no bread.
He has no wife, he has no child, he has no luck, he has no health.
He has no honor, he has no money, he doesn't have this world or the world to come.

Naturally, you'll see every pauper always laughing and delighted, and he's always happy at every turn.
He says "To hell with the whole world, because I go by 'Live it up, pauper, troubles are nothing to worry about!'"

Come to a poor man's house, it's as empty as the grave
It's a bighearted place, but he doesn't have even a bit of bread.
He has no door, he has no roof, he has no bed, he has nothing.
He has no clock, he has no mirror, he has no pillows, he has no cradle.
He has no challah, he has no table, he has no meat, he has no fish.
He has no pepper, he has no salt, he has no butter, he has no chicken fat.

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

Labels: disaster, humor, passover, sarcasm, travails

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Tsores iz keyn dayge nit from the Professor Horowitz opera יציאת מצרים

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