Ikh bin a lady: 1896 Yiddish parody by Isaac Gilrod of a ragtime tune
To sing with the melody from the English song
MY COAL BLACK LADY
specially written for Madam Thomashefsky
by Isaac Reingold
Isaac Reingold, "The Bard of the West," wrote this parody for the famous Yiddish theater star Bessie Thomashefsky. She was partial to ragtime tunes and lyrics about strong women. The song's disapproving tone can't suppress the spirit of the modern woman it describes.As I've discussed before, most of the best tunes from this era were from ragtime songs with racist lyrics. In this case I couldn't even determine whether the composer, W. T. Jefferson, was African American.
The original words are so distasteful nobody could countenance them today, but the tune is delightful.
It was hard to decide how to pronounce the word "lady" - it had to rhyme with words like rede.
Glenn Mehrbach made up this wonderful ragtime piano accompaniment and emailed it to me without us ever having sung/played the song together!
Transliteration of the Yiddish and translation after the jump.
Ikh bin a lady
Mayn frayndin iz a leyde un derfun iz gor keyn reyde
Az zi lebt a gutn tog.
Ir felt keyn es, keyn drink nit, vayl zi shport keyn mol keyn vink nit
Dos farshaft ir fraynd genug.
Zi kleydt zikh un zi zorgt nit khotsh zi layd nit un zi borgt nit
Dokh iz fremds alts vos zi trogt.
Un ven ikh her zi reydn lakht zi op fun ale meydn
Un barimt zikh nokh un zogt:
Ikh bin a leyde un lakh mikh oys far yede!
Mir felt keyn zakh nit, neyn neyn neyn,
Vayl ikh veys mikh vi tsu bageyn.
Men ruft mikh Keyde un ikh bin a leyde
Un veys mikh imer vi tsu bageyn.
In park shpatsirt mayn leyde un af beler iz keyn rede
Az zi iz di ershte dort.
Den oygn glezer trogt zi un oykh sigaretleh smukt zi
Vi es past far a leyde sport.
Oykh farb un poyder felt nit, vayl on dem iz gor keyn velt nit,
Yo dos iz shoyn an alter klal.
Ver redt shampanier trinkt zi un oykh libes lider zingt zi
Un gefint zikh iberal.
Ikh bin a leyde un lakh mikh oys fun yede.
Ikh hob keyn zorg nit, neyn neyn neyn,
Vayl ikh veys mikh vi tsu bageyn.
Men ruft mikh Kady un ikh bin a leyde
Un veys mikh umer vi tsu bageyn.
A libe shpilt mayn leyde nor derfun iz gor eyn rede
Az zi hot onshtot eyner, tsvey!
Zey brengen ir antiklekh un zey zaynen ibergliklekh
Ven zi redt a vort mit zey.
Vil eyner zi bagleytn, hot zi moyre farn tsveytn
Es ken vern a troyer shpil.
Un ven ikh freg ir, "Keyde, zog vi kenst du libn beyde?"
Entfert zi mir in der shtil:
Ikh bin a leyde un lakh mikh oys fun beyde.
Ikh "ker" far zey nit, neyn neyn neyn,
Ikh ken mikh oykh on zey bageyn.
Ikh nem fun beyde un shik zey tsu mayn zeyde.
Ikh veys mikh imer vi tsu bageyn.
Mayn frayndin iz a leyde un derfun iz gor keyn reyde
Az zi lebt a gutn tog.
Ir felt keyn es, keyn drink nit, vayl zi shport keyn mol keyn vink nit
Dos farshaft ir fraynd genug.
Zi kleydt zikh un zi zorgt nit khotsh zi layd nit un zi borgt nit
Dokh iz fremds alts vos zi trogt.
Un ven ikh her zi reydn lakht zi op fun ale meydn
Un barimt zikh nokh un zogt:
Ikh bin a leyde un lakh mikh oys far yede!
Mir felt keyn zakh nit, neyn neyn neyn,
Vayl ikh veys mikh vi tsu bageyn.
Men ruft mikh Keyde un ikh bin a leyde
Un veys mikh imer vi tsu bageyn.
In park shpatsirt mayn leyde un af beler iz keyn rede
Az zi iz di ershte dort.
Den oygn glezer trogt zi un oykh sigaretleh smukt zi
Vi es past far a leyde sport.
Oykh farb un poyder felt nit, vayl on dem iz gor keyn velt nit,
Yo dos iz shoyn an alter klal.
Ver redt shampanier trinkt zi un oykh libes lider zingt zi
Un gefint zikh iberal.
Ikh bin a leyde un lakh mikh oys fun yede.
Ikh hob keyn zorg nit, neyn neyn neyn,
Vayl ikh veys mikh vi tsu bageyn.
Men ruft mikh Kady un ikh bin a leyde
Un veys mikh umer vi tsu bageyn.
A libe shpilt mayn leyde nor derfun iz gor eyn rede
Az zi hot onshtot eyner, tsvey!
Zey brengen ir antiklekh un zey zaynen ibergliklekh
Ven zi redt a vort mit zey.
Vil eyner zi bagleytn, hot zi moyre farn tsveytn
Es ken vern a troyer shpil.
Un ven ikh freg ir, "Keyde, zog vi kenst du libn beyde?"
Entfert zi mir in der shtil:
Ikh bin a leyde un lakh mikh oys fun beyde.
Ikh "ker" far zey nit, neyn neyn neyn,
Ikh ken mikh oykh on zey bageyn.
Ikh nem fun beyde un shik zey tsu mayn zeyde.
Ikh veys mikh imer vi tsu bageyn.
I Am A Lady
My friend is a lady and there's no gossip about it. She lives well.
She's not lacking food or drink because she isn't stingy with the winks: they get her enough friends.
She dresses and doesn't worry, at least she doesn't suffer, or borrow.
Nothing she wears is hers.
And when I hear her talking she's laughing at all the girls and boasts, saying:
I'm a lady and I laugh at everyone
I'm not lacking for anything, no, because I know how to do without.
They call me Katy, I'm a lady, and I always know how to get by.
My lady walks in the park and at the balls there's no talk that she's first to arrive.
She wears eyeglasses and smokes cigarettes, as becomes a lady "sport."
Also, there's no lack of rouge and powder (without them the world wouldn't exist),
This has been a rule for a long time.
And naturally, she drinks champagne and sings love songs and she's seen everywhere.
I'm a lady, it gives me joy,
I have no worries, no, because I know how to do without,
They call me Katie and I'm a lady
And I always know how to get by.
My lady's having a love affair but there is no talk about the fact
That instead of having one, she has two.
They bring her nice little oddities and they're overjoyed
When she says a word to them.
If one of them wants to accompany her, she's afraid things will get ugly.
And when I ask her: "Katie, tell me, how can you love both?"
She answers me quietly:
I'm a lady, and I laugh at both of them.
I don't care for them, no, I can do without them, too!
I take from both of them and send them to the devil.
I always know how to get by.
For sheet music and/or performances contact me: jane@mappamundi.com
by melinama @ 11:49 AM
Yiddish Ragtime
Ikh bin busy
Opgenarte velt
Vos hot men tsu mir
Der East Side fun amol
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