Researching Yiddish penny songs (tenement song broadsides of theater and variety show songs, 1895-1925)
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I couldn't find much information about this song, which is on the Library of Congress website. It's from the 1904 show "The Lodge President" דער לאָדזשען פּרעזידענט by that shund mayster Professor Horowitz, about whom I've written before.

Arnold Perlmutter and Herman Wohl wrote the song, which as usual is full of Yinglish. Lorin Sklamberg solved the oddest mystery, Fan Pleve ot dem Soine Yssrul, by pointing me to Wikipedia:

Vyacheslav Konstantinovich von Plehve 1846-1904 was the director of Imperial Russia's police and later Minister of the Interior. ... After he did nothing to prevent a bloody wave of anti-Jewish violence in 1903, the known double agent Yevno Azef decided not to inform on the SR plans to kill Plehve. He survived one attack in 1903 and two in 1904 before the Socialist-Revolutionary Combat Group succeeded. On 28 July 1904, a bomb was thrown into Plehve's horse-drawn carriage by Yegor Sazonov, on his weekly audience with the Tsar at Izmailovsky Prospekt in Saint Petersburg, killing him at 58.

So, note that von Plehve died the very year this song mentioned him!

I used the original transliteration from the sheet music in the video. You can see if you agree about the guesses I made. Here it is, recorded this morning. Something strange happened to the keyboard track.



Lyrics and translation after the jump.




I'm a boy with lots of talent, as my father raised me.
If I became President I'd get a lot done.
And I'd change lots of laws, you understand,
with my full strength I'd unite capital and labor, abolish the Blue Laws.
Everybody could drink freely and play poker as they pleased.

It would be a wonder, people would live well and laugh.
I myself would create a new Constitution!
Everybody would be happy, the Yankees and the Jews as well.
I'd be able to do everything if I became President.

I'd move Sing-Sing to Fifth avenue and
I'd pretty up Allen Street the way it used to be.
The politician installed there, that's what I'd work for.
And to them all, every last one, I'd affix the Union Label.
And all the policemen in their blue coats would get the sack.

I'd quickly declare war, to go fight the lousy Russian.
I'd bury him deep in the earth with the first blow.
With Japan, I'd teach him well this time,
And right after the battle I'd kill von Plehve, the enemy of Israel.
Then I'd be very happy with the downfall of the Russian bear.

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

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Labels: anti-semitism, history, humor, immigration, labor union, morality, nostalgia, politics, union, war, workers, World War I