Does anyone know this song?

[Wholesale Klezmer Band <ganeydn...>]

A friend of ours sent a recording of her grandmother singing the song
below.  The tape was made in 1983, when her grandmother was 83 years old,
about a month before she died.  The grandmother had learned the song when
she was a young child from her father who was an unemployed tailor.  I
believe that the father had come to this country from Russia where he had
learned it.  The melody is almost identical to Dovid Edelshtadt's In Kamf.
We performed both at my friend's son's bar mitzve.

I transcribed the song as best I could from the tape, but there are places
where the words were very unclear.  Our friend and I would be very grateful
for any information about the song: the author, the date and place of
origin, whether anyone has ever recorded it, and especially the missing
words.

a sheynem dank (thank you),

Yosl (Joe) Kurland
The Wholesale Klezmer Band
Colrain, MA 01340
voice/fax: 413-624-3204
http://www.crocker.com/~ganeydn



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Es hot dort geshneyt un geregnt,
Un geyendik shnel durkh der gas,
A meydele hob ikh bagegnt,
a naket un borves un nas.  (2x)

It was snowing and raining
and going quickly through the street,
I met a young girl,
naked and barefoot and wet.

zi hot mit di nakete fiselekh,
gepatsht in fargosenem bruk,
un epes azoy vi fardrislekh,
geshaynt hot der kindershe kuk.

With her bare feet
she slapped the wet pavement
and something, however sad
shined with her childlike look.

kleyn meydele zog mir vu geyst du,
durkh regn, durkh shney un durkh kelt,
zog mir mayne kind tsi farshteyst du,
vi iberik du bist oyf der velt.

Little girl, tell me, where are you going,
through rain, through snow and through cold,
tell me my child do you understand,
how superfluous you are [deemed] in the world.

Di velt vos farlozt dir tsu zukhn,
a lebn dokh elent un layd,
un vil dayne fis nit farshukhn,
nit haltn dayn guf in kayn kleyd.

The world which allows you to search for
a life so lonely and sad
and that will not shoe your feet
nor put any dress on your body

Zog, zaynen dir fremde gefiln,
zay falt gornit ayn der gedank,
ven du zolst zikh itster farkiln,
den falstu avek un bist krank.

Say, are there any alien feelings,
don't they come into your thoughts?
If you should catch cold,
then you would fall away and be [gravely] sick.

ver vet dir (sounds like: tanus krirn)              (who will care for you?)
ver vet far dir epes ton,
di velt hot farlozt dir farfirn,
der got vet farkukn nit on.

Who will take care of you?
Who will do something for you?
The world has left you to lead your own life.
God will not look on.

Derfar muz ikh veynen un klogn,
es ken oykhet zayn mit mayn kind,
ven mir zoln tsores dershlogn,
un ir zol farvarfn der vint.

Therefore must I weep and complain,
it could also happen to my child
if something should strike me,
and you would be blown about by the wind

Derfar muz ikh veynen un klogn,
derfar heyb ikh ouf a geshrey,
(line completely missing)
tsu helfn tsu shtiln mayn vey.

Therefore must I weep and complain,
Therefore I make a scream,
(line completely missing)
to help quiet my pain.

Dayn borveskeyt kind, dayne trern,
un geyen in .........
veys ikh az es kenen vern,
fun meydelekh azelkhe vi du.

Your barefootness, child, your tears,
and your going in.....
I know that such can become,
of young girls just like you.


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