Tumbalalayka

Composer:	Unknown
Lyrics:	Unknown
Language:	hebrew
Categories/Themes:	Zionist

The Yiddish words are well known - a young man wants to choose a bride and asks her some riddles, which she answers with flair, while calling him silly.
The Hebrew verse is quite different in meaning: "What does a young khalutz do when he comes to a kibbutz? He wants to eat! But when he sees a girl he forgets about everything!"
The clip featured here is from a great CD Zing along with Cindy lyrics updated 6-21-2k1 using the album insert from KlezmerConservatory Band 13th anniversary live album My grandfather's translation has "understanding" instead of "stone". It's possible that it should be "farshteyn" rather than "a shteyn". Nana Mouskouri has a song with an identical tune, called "Over and Over"

Lyrics

Translation, etc.

1.
Shteyt a bokher,un er trakht
Trakht un trakht a gantze nakht
Vemen tzu nemen un nisht farshemen
Vemen tzu nemen un nisht farshemen

2.
Meydl, meydl, kh'vil bay dir fregn,
Vos ken vaksn, vaksn on regn
Vos ken brenen un nit oyfhern
Vos ken benken, veynen on trern

3.
Narisher bokher, vos darfstu fregn
A shteyn ken vaksn, vaksn on regn
A libe ken brenen un nisht oyfhern
A hartz ken benken, veynen on trern

4. (Hebrew)
Ma oseh oseh ha khalutz
She huba huba lakibutz
Ba lakibutz - rotze leechol
Roeh bakhura, shokheakh hakol!

Chorus:
Tum-bala, tum-bala, tum-balalaika
Tum-bala, tum-bala, tum-balalaika
Tum-balalaika, shpil balalaika
Tum-balalaika,freylekh zol zayn.

1.
A young man is standing and longing for
And longing and longing the whole night
Who to choose and to offend

2.
Maiden, maiden tell me true
What can grow, grow without the dew?
What can burn for years and years?
What can cry without shedding tears?

3.
Silly boy, I'll tell you true!
A stone can grow without the dew.
Love can burn for years and years,
A heart can cry without shedding tears.

(I never understood really why a stone can grow, perhaps
it
means only that a stone can develop. Sorry for my bad
English, iris)
(Iris, it comes from the idea of a cherry stone or pit,
(double meaning) but stone sounds prettier than pit.)
(Stones (in the fields), which are under the earth surface,
appears from time to time on the surface.At first appears
the top of the stone, then ,in years, the whole stone. So,
it grows. You can see it in north-east Europe.)

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Tumbalalayka

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Tumbalalayka

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