daniel kahn & the painted bird – the ballad of how the jews got to europe lyrics
sing, oh muse, of how the jews migrated to this place
and how the force of history has creolized the race
our modest disquisition is burdened by the weight
of european history and epic jewish fate
the story of a people who, displaced from ancient lands
became the slaves of greece and rome and gaul’s marauding bands
who planted little languages all along the rhine
with odd stiff-necked customs that defy the test of time
they don’t eat this, they won’t wear that
invite them in they always wear their hats
worse, they refuse to recognize
the one true god in his earthly guise
dos folk vos hot amol farmogt yehude un shomron
es vandert itst di velt adurkh on land un on a fon
mir zenen keyn tsig-yner nisht, kholile nisht gedakht
nishto, nisht dort, nisht far keyn yidn mitn mindstn pakhd
eyrope heyst haynt undzer heym, a goles sheyn vi gor
vos ligt tseshpreyt in veltl tsvishn hondl un teror
di zkhus fun undzere oves, dos iz alts vos shteyt undz bay
abi mir hitn toyre op un blaybn ir getray
s’iz treyf undz, feh, un shatnes loy
mir maydn oys dem veg fun goy
trogn mir di hit bay aykh in hoyz
keyn koved gebn mir nit op dem yoyz
sing, oh muse, of how it was decided we would do
the work that goyim weren’t allowed: leave it to the jew
we lent at interest to the princes who we sought to please
and went among the peasants to collect the royal fees
ver hot bashlosn az mir zoln lebn reyshis-kol
fun dem vos kristn torn nisht- ay loz es reb yisroel?
bay printsn nemen mir protsent, un zenen nose-kheyn
un monen op bay poyerim, vos veynen vi fun khreyn
mir hitn nit keyn gertner op, flantsn keyn geviks
mir hondlen, borgen, dingen zikh, s’vert an idee fixe!
tsi makhnes darf? tsi felt a shklaf? bay undz farkoyft zikh alts! mir zenen kontsert mayster fun eyropes hondl-vals
we did not cultivate our gardens, we did not grow fruit
we hondled, lent and d-ckered all along the trading routes
the prince needs men, the new world slaves, have we got stuff to sell!
we are the middlemen of europe’s modern earthly h-ll
we are the middlemen of europe’s modern earthly h-ll
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