Breathtaking vocals
Musician, winter 2007

English translations (for original Yiddish texts go to sleeve notes)

1. Ay-yai-yai

2. Shpitsn berg

The mountain tops have gone to sleep
In the dark night quiet valleys are full of fresh mist
No dust comes from the pathways
No noises from the forest

Wait a little and your time to rest will come

3. A frisher vint

Today from the field a fresh wind ascended onto hot streets
And didn’t know where was “in” and where was “out”
And calmly rested

I left a dull house, I came towards the wind,
And the wind quietly and gently embraced me

We kissed each other, the wind and I and without exchanging a word, we spoke
“what is happening in the fields now?”
“the corn is blossoming already”

It will ring in me today until night
The quiet shawl of farawy hills,
The corn is blossoming already.

Two times two is – four.
I times I is – you,
You times you is – me
Death times death is – rest.

In the east is my head
And my feet are in the west
Hurry up, don’t get lost
Near times near is – far

Scratching at the door,- knock knock –
It’s open, come in,
kindle your last look
death times death is – being

5. Nit ikh veyn un nit ikh lakh

let hot tears be blessed
a man must be a man
but my eyes are dry top to bottom
there is not a single tear left

let there be healthy laughter
a man must be a man
but to me such a thing has happened
that I don’t cry and I don’t laugh

6. Der heyliker Balshemtov

The Holy Bal-Shem-Tov went into the field
And started walking through the field
And from the North the wind started blowing
Cold and frosty winds were blowing
So the wind froze his limbs
And with his limbs frozen
The Holy Bal-Shem-Tov opened his lips
And sang out loud
this is what his open lips were singing, singing, singing:
“how blessed is the one who is lucky to be touched by
your wind, how blessed am I that I was favoured to freeze in your cold
Blessed am I, and how blessed I am, and how blessed and blessed and blessed”

And thirstily the frosty air he drank,
and further in deep contemplation sank.

And gradually in the sky rose the big flaming Sun
And it became Hellishly hot
And from his face streams of sweat ran down
And in the burning field not even a breeze blew

But suddenly through the burning field the voice of the Bal-Shem-Tov spread
Thus the Bal-Shem-Tov was singing, praising the Creator singing;
“for cold and heat for sun and for rain, for day and for night, may you be praised. For everything that you send to us, praised be you, praised be you, praised be you,
and how am I blessed that I will now burn from your fire, I will burn. And also I have been favoured and you have chosen for me to fall from thirst on your earth, how blessed I am, and how blessed and blessed and blessed

Two people live next door to each other
Two neighbours two tall young men
One is like a girl and the other pale,
Im me, in me, in me.
Two people live next door to each other

I sleep, suddenly I feel someone’s hand
When one sleeps the other awakens
He comes out from beneath a dark ladder
And climbs up the wall, up the wall, up the wall
I sleep, suddenly I feel someone’s hand

Sometimes I sit with a glass of wine
It happens, it happens and I wish it didn’t
The small one opens a door
And spits in my face
Sometimes I sit with a glass of wine

Two people live next door to each other
Two neighbours two tall young men
One is like a girl and the other pale,
Im me, in me, in me.
Two people live next door to each other

8. Tirtl-toybn

Impulses of memory:
Lightning, noise
Gleam of the Sun off the knife’s blade.
Suddenly:
Hede years and a word,
No more than a word:
Turtledoves.
And it won’t stop,
With the soft fold of tirtl
With the fondling fold.
Oh tirtl toybn
tirtl toybn
tirtl tirtl
tirtl toybn.
Heder years, childhood years.
And it sings.
And it haunts.
And it cradles.
And reminds:
tirtl toybn
tirtl tirtl
tirtl toybn.

Entele, Entele, Entele,
why are you walking askance?
And Entl says
“because I am not a soldier
I am a duck, and I walk like bobe Yentl,
There and back, I rock side to side,
In beautiful red shoes”.

Come be a mother for me. My mother told me
a tale about a paper bridge –
tell me about it too. And tell me about birds
that during the Summer come back from far away.

Vanquish my empty dreams from my bed,
That come to me every night, every night.
Tell me about angels that will come
And bring me a golden star.

And bells are ringing – cover my ears,
Cover them and say that it’s the town clock ringing.
And the wind behind the windows is blowing, you should say –
It is my father sitting with a sefer and singing…

Tell me that there will be a warm Summer coming soon
And singing go to the field
Tell me – maybe my yearning will quieten
And lighten, lighten my world.

11. Oy, a shuster darf ikh nisht

da da dai..

you promised me that you will marry me on a Summer’s day ,
The Summer’s day has come and you haven’t married me

Oy! a boy doesn’t want me and I shouldn’t have a religious bookworm
Oy! a tailor doesn’t want me and I shouldn’t have a shoemaker.

Pour for me, my dear, a glass of wine
We’ll drink “to life” so we’ll be healthy
I heard a tale that in old wine
an old man hid a tune

dai dai dai ….

Pour for me, my dear a chalice of yayn
For all my loved ones, we’ll drink‘”to life”
I heard a tale, and this is no untruth that in the bottom of the second glass
lies the old man’s tune

dai dai dai ….

Pour for me, my dear the very best yayn
So let’s for the tune drink “to life”
Those who know, say, those who know, see
There it must lie, on the bottom of the third glass, the old man’s tune

dai dai dai ….

13. Vos vilstu

What do you want?
A tailor for a husband?
I don’t want a tailor for a husband
Because I’m not a tailor’s daughter

I sit on a stone, look down and cry
All young girls have a fiancé
And I am all alone

What do you want?
A shoemaker for a husband?…

I sit on a stone…

What do you want?
A klezmer for a husband?…..
Yes I want a klezmer for my husband
Because I’m a klezmer’s daughter!

I sit on a stone, look up and laugh
All girls have a fiancé
And I am just like them!

On the other side of the river the Sun is going down
On the other side of the river a young girl is walking
With longing in her a heart and tears in her gaze
She’s searching for her maiden’s good fortune

And flowers blue 7 X 7
she gathered in the moonlight
And then released them into the current of the river
“swim along my little flowers, swim”

“ swim along, as far as the waters flow
maybe you will find my fortune there
and if you will find my fortune there –
swim back soon flowers! “

The night has drawn a fog over the river
On the banks the girl remained standing still
And looking long into the waters
Strongly arched her shoulders back…

The waters were flowing and flowing…
The flowers didn’t find anything there
No flower came back
Cry young girl, you will have no good fortune