jews and kolomeykes

[itzik <itzik...>]

I read Josh Horowitz's "Dr. Klez" on jews and kolomeykes and would 
like to add the following:
1) In Yiddish the name of the town is Kolomey and is in Eastern 
Galicia.
2) there are many Yiddish songs written to the tunes of Kolomeykes, 
most are some version of the following (my grandmothers version, she 
was from Zvinyetchke in Northern Bukovina)

Hosti Beyle gitn meyd
gib zhe mir dem eyber
Tomer meynsti az s'iz shpeyt
Tsvelf iz der zeyger
Gisti yu, gisti neyn
vayl ikh hob keyn tsayt tsu shteyn 
(last two lines 2x)

Do you have good mead, Beyle?
Give me the handle/lifter
If you think it's late- 
it's only 12 oclock
Give me yes, give me no
I have not time to stand.

Other versions are found in the printed collections of cahan, and Pipe 
at least. I found one in a hasidic collection I bought last year in 
Williamsburg where it is given as a rebbe's song. I thought this was 
amusing since the work "(h)eyber" is a double entendre of some sort. 
Yermye Hescheles confirmed this and my uncle says that my grandmother 
smiled at that line indicating some lewdness. I also heard that Lorin 
Sklamberg sang a version at his solo show at Tonic last year. usually 
when I find Yiddish words to a dance tune, such as this, I think it is 
possible that jews danced to it and made up these words as they 
danced. how or what they danced is another matter.
3) In the Polish Village Music CD on Arhoolie (great!), the only 
kolomeyke is called "Itzik in Kolomey" indicating a jewish connection.
- I

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