Geyt a Goy in Shenkl Arayn

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Yiddish Lyrics

Geyt a goy in shenkl arayn,
in shenkl arayn, in shenkl arayn,
trinkt er dort a gut glezl vayn,
a gut glezl vayn, a gut glezl vayn.
Oy, shiker iz a goy, shiker iz a goy,
shiker iz er, trinken muz er,*
vayl er iz a goy.

Geyt a yid in bes-medresh arayn,
in bes-medresh arayn, in bes-medresh arayn,
khapt er dort a kedushele arayn,
a kedushele arayn, a kedushele arayn.
Oy, nikhter iz a yid, nikhter iz a yid,
nikhter iz er, davnen muz er,
vayl er iz a yid.

Geyt a goy fun shenkl aroys,
fun shenkl aroys, fun shenkl aroys,
brekht er dort a por shaybelekh oys,
a por shaybelekh oys, a por shaybelekh oys.
Oy, shiker iz a goy, shiker iz a goy,
shiker iz er, brekhen muz er,
vayl er iz a goy.

Geyt a yid fun bes-medresh aroys,
fun bes-medresh aroys, fun bes-medresh aroys,
kusht er dort a por mezuzelekh oys,
a por mezuzelekh oys, a por mezuzelekh oys.
Oy, nikhter iz a yid, nikhter iz a yid,
nikhter iz er, kushn muz er,
vayl er iz a yid.

*probably sung (in Polish or Ukrainian Yiddish) "miz er," which
gives an internal rhyme

Translation

A GOY ENTERS A TAVERN

A Goy enters a tavern. There he has a glass of wine, a
stiff drink, a sizable
one. A Goy is drunk;
he needs to drink, because he is a Goy.

A Jew enters the chapel. There he catches a Minkhe
service,
a Borkhu response,
a Kaddish. A Jew is
sober; he needs to pray, because he is a Jew.

A Goy steps out into the street. There he breaks our
windows, the window panes,
lets the feathers
out. A Goy is drunk; he needs to break [possible pun
on needs to
vomit], because he
is a Goy.

A Jew exits the chapel. There he kisses a couple of
Mezuzahs, a Torah mantle, a
holy book. A Jew is
sober; he needs to kiss, because he is a Jew.

(from jewish-music email discussion list - www.shamash.org) From Bob Rothstein: The text here is(converted to YIVO standard) as published in _Yiddish Folk Songs: 50 Songs for Voice and Piano_, collected by Sarah Pitkowsky Schack with piano arrangement by Ethel Silberman Cohen (New York: Bloch Publishing Company, 1924), 50-51 Those interested in this song may also be interested in the texts included in my paper "'Geyt a yid in shenkl arayn': Yiddish Songs of Drunkenness," _The Field of Yiddish: Studies in Language, Folklore, and Literature_, Fifth Collection, ed. David Goldberg (Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press and YIVO, 1993), 243-62. ---------------------------------------------------- From Sam Weiss: I had remembered this folksong as appearing in the Schack- Cohen Yiddish Folk Songs collection, but I could not find it in the copy that I had. On closer inspection I noticed that there is a blanked-out entry for a song #22 in the table of contents, as well as in the song summaries section. Since this copy is the 5th edition published in 1950, Im assuming that "Geyt a goy in shenkl arayn" is the censored song. Abe Ellstein wrote an arrangement of the song in 1926. -----------------------------------------------------

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Added February 7th, 2002