Re: Does anyone recognize, this song?

[Joe Kurland <ganeydn...>]

At 11:00 PM -0400 5/31/00, Jacob J Freedman wrote:
>Does anyone recognize, this song? My father's cousin
>remembers her mother singing this song to her.
>
>--                                                               --
>
>Es hot geshnet und geregent (It was snowing and raining)
>A clein madela is gegangen in gass (A small girl was walking in the
>street)
>Naket und boorbos und nass. (Naked and barefoot and wet)
>
>Zoog zhe mir, clein madele  (Tell me little girl)
>Vi gaist du (Where are you going)
>Naked and boorbos und nass (naked and bareful and wet)
>

Funny thing, I requested help finding the very same song last fall. 
A customer of ours had a tape of her late grandmother singing it and 
wanted it sung at her son's bar mitzve. The grandmother had learned 
it from her father and sung it on the tape just a few weeks before 
she died.

I transcribed the words as best I could and Dr. Itzik Gottesman very 
kindly reported that the song is Dos Borvese Meydl by Morris 
Rosenfeld.  The melody the grandmother sang was almost identical to 
Edelshtats "In Kamf" though Itzik remembers it with a different 
melody.

Here are the words as I was able to reconstruct them from the tape:

Es hot dort geshneyt un geregnt,
Un geyendik shnell 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......           (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,

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.


Zayt gezunt (be healthy),

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

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