Yiddish Penny Songs: Meyzl, kum kusht dayn Reyzl! - 1901 Louis Koppelman parody of "Pliny, Come Kiss Yo' Baby"

Meyzl, come kiss your Reyzl by Louis Kopelman Sung by Madame Finkel, with the melody from Pliny Come Kiss You Baby

I think this sheet music cover (left) is the ugliest one ever. Dave Reed Jr wrote the original words and melody.

This is on a page of Lider magazin with another song (for which I can't find the melody) (Fun Aylenish kumt keyn guts aroys sung by H. Rosenshteyn). It says they are songs from "Der muzinke" by Professor Horowitz, about whom I've written on this blog.

Madame Emma Finkel (there's an amazing story about her I'll tell in a later post) sang this song in the show. The first verse, which I didn't sing, is just the setup: Reyzl is a very healthy, strong village girl longing for her sweetheart.

I sang verse 3 and then verse 2, in which she bewails his absence (we know he isn't worth it though).

I sent the sheet music to pianist extraordinaire Glenn Mehrbach and he e-mailed me this ragtime piano file, thanks Glenn!

So here is our rendition:

Yiddish transliteration and translation after the jump

Es iz gevezn in a zumer nakht
Ikh gedenk es nokh vi dos hot zikh gemakht,
Ikh bin geblibn mit Meyzl gants aleyn in a groyser shtib
"Reyzele," hot er gezogt tsu mir,
"Reyzele, ikh shtarb avek nokh dir!
Reyzele, du bist mayn harts,
Du veyst gor nit vi ikh hob dikh lib!"
Oy, haynt bin ikh azoy vi an almone,
Ikh gey arum vi on a kop.
Oy, ikh bin dokh yetst in a sakone
Ikh zol nit blaybn zitsn biz in groyen tsop.

Okh, Meyzl, kum kush dayn Reyzl, kush mikh gut un fayn,
Reyzl vet shtendik blaybn dayn
Du veyst nit vi ikh bin shoyn gern
Du zolst shoyn mayner vern,
Meyzl, kum un kush dayn Reyzl.

Ikh gedenk es gut mit tsvey, dray yor tsurik,
Vi damols hot far mir geshaynt dos glik
Mit kheyshek hob ikh ales geton, fun tsores nit gevust
Ven ikh fleg nor bay der arbet shteyn
Flegt zikh mir mayn Meyzl shtil tsu geyn
Un flegt mikh gletn, kushn un hot mir mayn lebn farzist.
Un ikh fleg bald di hent mir oykh opvishn
Un fleg im drikn tsu mir on shir
Oy, haynt hob ikh shoyn keynem nit tsu kushn,
Un mayn Meyzl vil nit kumen mer tsu mir!

I remember well: Two or three years ago,
Happiness was shining for me then.
I did everything eagerly, I didn't know about trouble.
When I used to stand by my work,
my Meyzl used to come to me quietly.
He used to caress me, kiss me, make my life sweet.
And I used to dry my hands and press him to me endlessly
Oy, today I have nobody to kiss
And my Meyzl doesn't come to me any more.

Oh, Meyzl, come kiss your Reyzl, kiss me well,
Reyzl will always be yours.
You don't know how much I want you to be mine already!
Meyzl, come kiss your Reyzl.

It happened on a summer night,
I remember it as if it just happened,
I was all alone with my Meyzl in a big house.
"Reyzele," he said to me,
"Reyzele, I'm dying for you.
Reyzele, you're my heart, you've no idea how much I love you."
But now I'm like a widow, I go around in a daze.
Oy, now I'm in danger
of still being an old maid when my braids are gray.

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

Wednesday, February 3, 2021

Meyzl, kum kusht dayn Reyzl! - 1901 Louis Koppelman parody of "Pliny, Come Kiss Yo' Baby"

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