Yiddish Curiosities: a library of wonderful but forgotten Yiddish songs from the late 1920s and after (includes Polish Jewish Cabaret). Have a listen!

This one is probably a folksong, but I haven't been able to find it. It might also be spelled tfiseh-lid or tfiseh-lied or something else I can't figure out!

Vet shoyn do undzer keyver zayn
Zenen mir shoyn do farloyrn
Zen veln mir nisht mer di likhtike shayn
Farsholtn zenen mir fun geboyrn

Refrain:
Farlirt keyn mut nisht bruder
Der goyrl undzer iz shoyn aza
Shaynen vet di zun far undz nokh vider
Dinen zol undz di fray...

Dort gelozn froy un kind
Bay "nash brat" iz dos tayer...
Do muz men zikh plogn erger vi hint
Brenen zol es vi a fayer...

This is going to be our grave, here, we're already lost. We won't see the light any more, we've been cursed since we were born

Don't lose heart, brother, this is how our fate is. The sun will shine for us again... We left wife and child there ... Here we're tormented worse than a dog...

Labels: gangsters