¨The Yiddish Mate Tea Song” Performed by Clara Bitman

The Yiddish Mate Tea Song / דאָס ייִדישע מאַטע־טייליד
Sung by Clara Bitman, recorded by Itzik Gottesman 1980s.

Clara Bitman learned this song in the 1950s in the Zhitlovsky-shul in Buenos-Aires; a school that was part of the leftist Yidishe kultur-farband organization in Argentina.  She sang it at a Yugntruf “shraybkrayz” [writing circle] in NYC in the 1980s. Thanks this week to Janina Wurbs and Emily Socolov. 

The Yiddish Mate Tea Song

Mume Zlate trinkt a mate
un farbayst a kikhl.
Nokh a mate gist on Zlate
farn feter Mikhl.

Aunt Zlate drinks mate
and snacks on a cookie.
Another mate Zlate pours for 
her uncle Mikhl. 

Feter Mikhl neyt a shikhl
mit der rekhter hant.
Mit der linker, mate trinkt er,
trinken zey banand.

Uncle Mikhl sews a shoe
with his right hand.
WIth his left he drinks mate.
So all three drink together. 

Kumt fun shul der kleyner Shmulik,
hungerik farbayst.
Gist im Zlate on a mate;
trinken ale dray.

Little Shmulik comes home from school
hungry, so he snacks. 
Zlate pours for him a mate,
So all three drink. 

Fun a tetsl nasht dos ketsl
milekh mitn hintl.
Do a lek, do a shmek
sara lib gezindl.

The kitten snacks from a saucer 
some milk with the puppy.
Here a lick, there a whiff – 
what a loving family. 

דאָס מאַטיי־טייליד
געזונגען פֿון קלאַראַ ביטמאַן

מומע־זלאַטע טרינקט אַ מאַטע
.און פֿאַבײַסט אַ קיכל
נאָך אַ מאַטע גיסט אָן זלאַטע
.פֿאַרן פֿעטער מיכל

פֿעטער מיכל נייט אַ שיכל
.מיט דער רעכטער האַנט
מיט דער לינקער, מאַטע טרינקט ער
.טרינקען זיי באַנאַנד

קומט פֿון שול דער קליינער שמואליק
.הונגעריק פֿאַרבײַסט
.גיסט אים זלאַטע אָן אַ מאַטע
.טרינקען אַלע דרײַ

פֿון אַ טעצל נאַשט דאָס קעצל
.מילעך מיטן הינטל
דאָ אַ לעק, דאָ אַ שמעק
.סאַראַ ליב געזינדל

“Fun vanen nemen zikh di libes?” Performed by Lifshe Schaechter-Widman

Fun vanen nemen zikh di libes? / How do romances begin?
Sung by Lifshe Schaechter-Widman, recorded by Leybl Kahn 1954, The Bronx, New York City

Commentary by Itzik Gottesman

Though once fairly well-known and found in field recordings and several printed collections, I do not believe this lyric love song was ever recorded commercially other than on the CD Bay mayn mames shtibele, sung by Lifshe Schaechter-Widman’s (LSW’s) daughter Beyle Schaechter-Gottesman. Here we present a version by LSW herself.

Lifshe Schaechter-Widman, 1972

In the I. L. Cahan collection (1957) there are three versions of the song (#26, 27, 28) from the Kiev region, the Vilna region and Podolia region; so the song has been “traveling” over a wide area for a while. One of the verses in those versions (#27)  continues the counting of excuses:

Dem dritn terets zolstu zogn,
du host dikh gelernt shvimen.
Dem fertn terets zolstu zogn,
az du host dayn tsayt bakumen [bakimen]

The third excuse you should give
is that you were learning how to swim.
The fourth excuse you should give
is that you are having your period.

Thus making this the only Yiddish song I have found so far that mentions menstruation.

YIDDISH TRANSLITERATION & TRANSLATION

Fun vanet nemen zikh di libes
fin deym shpeytn in fin dem lakhn.
Indzer libe hot zikh geshlosn,
in eyne, tsvey of der nakhtn.

How do romances begin?
From mocking and from laughing.
Our love was sealed –
during one, two evenings.

Tsvelef shlugt zikh shoyn der zeyger.
Fir mekh up aheym.
Vus far a terets vel ikh zugn
Bay mayn mamen in der heym?

The clock has already rung twelve.
Take me home.
What excuse will I say
at my mother’s at home?

Dem ershtn teyrets zo’sti zugn,
az di host geneyet shpeyt.
Dem tsveytn teyrets vesti zugn –
az di host geblondzet dem veyg.

The first excuse you should give
is that you sewed late.
The second excuse you should give
is that you got lost on the way.

Vus toyg mir dayne teyritsem.
Fir mekh up ahem.
Di mame vet dus tirele farshlisn,
in droysn vel ikh blaybn shteyn.

What do I need your excuses for?
Take me home.
Mother will lock the door
and I will be stuck outside.