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?
Search the blog:

This song is so long, it might as well be an opera. OK that's an exaggeration, but these three verses clock in at almost 6 minutes, and there was a fourth I didn't sing.

The original song was written by Irving Jones, an African-American composer, and it was a big hit for him. I couldn't find a recording online.

The song was written for Bessie Thomashefsky and we see how these Yiddish ragtime songs became the rage:

I know you don't want to hear old songs any more.
And I, myself, find it hard to sing old songs.
And when I see you all coming here (no Evil Eye),
I know you only want to pay to hear novelties.

I was at YIVO this past week and found a wonderful 1985 article by Fred Somkin called "Zion's Harp by the East River." It's all about exactly these parodic songs from Lider magazin. I wish I could call Fred and say "I LOVE YOUR ARTICLE," but he passed away in 2009.

So after the first verse, about how novel and wonderful these ragtime songs are, there is a second verse about a mother and her daughters (I skipped it) and then a verse about the Spanish American War and we finish up with the Dreyfus affair. Here's my recording from this week. Glenn Mehrbach prepared the keyboard track and then I tried to sing along afterwards as I always do, but the words are really packed into it and presented quite a challenge.


So you can look them up, some of the parshoynen in this song are:

Admiral Winfield Scott Schley
Admirals William Sampson
Admiral George Dewey
Hubert-Joseph Henry
Alfred Dreyfus
Charles Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy
Émile Zola
Georges Picquart

Transliteration and translation from the Yiddish after the jump.




"Get Your Money's Worth" is a song that's going around.
"Get Your Money's Worth," everybody's singing it, big and small.
"Get Your Money's Worth," it's a big hit with everyone.
I want to try singing it too, see if you like it.
I know you don't want to hear old songs any more.
And I, myself, find it hard to sing old songs.
And when I see you all coming here (no Evil Eye),
I know you only want to pay to hear hear novelties.

Therefore I want to sing only new stuff now,
And you yourselves must also understand
That the melody and the words
Are really good, very good and pretty.

Get your money's worth!
I'll sing for you, Jews,
You'll enjoy it. Get your money's worth!
I want you always to come back.
Get your money's worth
I won't mislead you, you'll be amused.
I'll sing a lot of songs for you
And you'll get your money's worth.

You all know that Spain (that weak flea)
Dared to start a war with America.
We beat them, they shouted "Enough!"
They lost the war, a lot of men, and weaponry.
Dewey fought like a giant at Manila.
Schley and Sampson took prisoners at Santiago
until they all went under. Now they're going to Paris.
There, the Spaniards will sob: "We can't take any more!"

Now, just think - the war is over already.
We won, and Spain is buried deep in the ground
And in Paris they will certainly
Beg and cry, on their knees:

"Get your money's worth!
Take the Phillippines and everything within them.
Get your money's worth,
As long as you leave us in peace."
"Get your money's worth!
We have no rifles, no land, no soldiers,
You've blown our flotilla into the mud,
So get your money's worth!"

Everyone knows Dreyfus is a fine man.
Esterhazy and Henry the tyrant persecuted him.
He suffered bitterly, it couldn't have been worse.
They sent him to Devil's Island 1000s of miles away.
Zola and Picquart, those brave honest people,
Shouted and turned the world upside down for a long time.
Until after long hard suffering the time was right
To give the martyr, now, a whole new trial.

So then France will beg his forgivenness
And you'll see, when he goes free,
Every enemy will become his friend
And everyone will extend a hand to him in friendship.

Get your money's worth! After the severe hardships
You'll be given great respect.
Get your money's worth!
You're the finest man in the land.
Get your money's worth!
You've suffered enough from antisemitism
Now we'll show you how high you can rise
And you'll get your money's worth.

---

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

---