“Hosti Beyle gitn meyd?” A Yiddish Kolomeyke Performed by Lifshe Schaechter-Widman

Hosti Beyle gitn meyd? (Beyle, Do You Have Good Mead?)
A Yiddish Kolomeyke
Performance by Lifshe Schaechter-Widman
Recorded by Leybl Kahn, Bronx, NY, 1954

Commentary by Itzik Gottesman

Lifshe Schaechter-Widman (LSW) introduces this song as a children’s song, and it seems that a number of her children’s songs are adapted dance tunes either from Jewish or Ukrainian melodies. In this case one can easily identify the melody as a kolomeyke*, a couples dance from Ukraine/Eastern Poland/Galicia, referring to the Ukrainian city known as “Kolomey” in Yiddish, and “Kolomyia” in Ukrainian.

“Kolomeyka” 1895 by Teodor Axentowicz (1859 – 1938)

In the Yiddish song collection Yiddish Folksongs From Galicia in the volume Folklore Research Center Studies, Volume 2 (Jerusalem: 1971) devoted to the work of folklorist Shmuel-Zaynvil Pipe, and edited by Dov and Meir Noy, a variant and its melody is included (song #51, please see below). In the notes (p. 308), Meir Noy lists the other printed variants of this song in other collections and comments that the melody is a kolomeyka.

I had always thought that this song was tsvey-taytshik, with many double entendres, and considering the fact that a kolomeyke was a couples dance that made sense. So I was rather surprised to find it in a collection of Hasidic Yiddish songs entitled: קונטרס: אגרא דבי הילולא מילי: חרוזים חשובים מדור הישן There is no place of publication (I bought it in Williamsburg, Brooklyn) but it is dated 1996. They conclude the volume with this version of “Hosti Beyle” attributed to the Ropshitser Rebbe תנועה מהרה”ק מראפשיץ זי״ע

I have not changed the spelling:

האסטו בייליש גוטע מעהד
געב אהער דעם הייביר
ווילסטו וויסען ווי שפּעט
צוועלף אַ זייגער.

How the Ropshitser Rebbe interpreted this song would be interesting. In both Pipe’s version and the Ropshitser’s version they use the word “heyber” instead of LSW’s “eyber.” “Heyber” (handle/lever) makes more sense.

*Musically a kolomeyke is characterized by symmetric phrases with running 16th notes followed by two quarter notes. Here is a kolomeyke that bears my name “Icek W. Kolomej” (Itzik in Kolomey) from “Polish Village Music”, Arhoolie 1995, CD7031. Played by Orkiestra Majkuta.

Lifshe (spoken): A kinderlid.
Lifshe: (spoken) A children’s song.

Hosti Beyle gitn meyd?
Na zhe dir deym [h]eyber.
Vi’sti meynen s’iz shoyn shpet,
S’iz ersht tsvelef a zeyger.

Do you have good mead, Beyle?
Then give me the lever [or handle].
You want to think it’s late –
But it’s only 12 o’clock.

Gisti yo, gisti neyn?
vayl ikh hob keyn tsayt tsi shteyn.
Gisti yo, gisti neyn?
vayl ikh hob keyn tsayt tsi shteyn.

Do you give or not?
Because I’ve no time to stand around.
Do you give or not?
Because I’ve no time to stand around.

And here is the melody and more verses from Noy and Noy/Pipe 1971: