The Ballad of How the Jews Got to Europe-the Painted Bird/Daniel Kahn

[00:20.787]Sing, oh muse, of how the Jews migrated to this place [00:24.026]And how the force of history has creolized the race [00:27.287]Our modest disquisition is burdened by the weight [00:30.527]Of European history and epic Jewish fate [00:34.036]The story of a people who, displaced from ancient lands [00:37.039]Became the slaves of Greece and Rome and Gaul’s marauding bands [00:40.279]Who planted little languages all along the Rhine [00:43.774]With odd stiff-necked customs that defy the test of time [00:57.532]They don’t eat this, they won’t wear that [01:00.538]Invite them in they always wear their hats [01:03.280]Worse, they refuse to recognize [01:06.032]The one true god in his earthly guise [01:12.538]Dos folk vos hot amol farmogt Yehude un Shomron [01:15.529]Es vandert itst di velt adurkh on land un on a fon [01:18.779]Mir zenen keyn tsigayner nisht, kholile nisht gedakht [01:21.783]Nishto, nisht dort, nisht far keyn yidn mitn mindstn pakhd [01:25.279]Eyrope heyst haynt undzer heym, a goles sheyn vi gor [01:28.283]Vos ligt tseshpreyt in veltl tsvishn hondl un teror [01:31.524]Di zkhus fun undzere oves, dos iz alts vos shteyt undz bay [01:34.783]Abi mir hitn toyre op un blaybn ir getray [01:48.278]S’iz treyf undz, feh, un shatnes loy [01:51.545]Mir maydn oys dem veg fun goy [01:54.029]Trogn mir di hit bay aykh in hoyz [01:56.282]Keyn koved gebn mir nit op dem Yoyz [02:03.790]Sing, oh muse, of how it was decided we would do [02:06.780]The work that goyim weren’t allowed: leave it to the Jew [02:10.293]We lent at interest to the princes who we sought to please [02:13.535]And went among the peasants to collect the royal fees [02:17.023]Ver hot bashlosn az mir zoln lebn reyshis-kol [02:20.031]Fun dem vos kristn torn nisht- ay loz es reb yisroel? [02:23.285]Bay printsn nemen mir protsent, un zenen nose-kheyn [02:26.531]Un monen op bay poyerim, vos veynen vi fun khreyn [02:30.042]Mir hitn nit keyn gertner op, flantsn keyn geviks [02:33.285]Mir hondlen, borgen, dingen zikh, s’vert an idee fixe! [02:36.530]Tsi makhnes darf? Tsi felt a shklaf? Bay undz farkoyft zikh alts! Mir zenen kontsert mayster fun Eyropes hondl-vals [02:43.276]We did not cultivate our gardens, we did not grow fruit [02:46.284]We hondled, lent and dickered all along the trading routes [02:49.537]The prince needs men, the New World slaves, have we got stuff to sell! [02:52.774]We are the middlemen of Europe’s modern earthly hell [02:56.036]We are the middlemen of Europe’s modern earthly hell