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

Itzik Zhelonek says to sing this to the melody of "Kortn" (Cards) but I've never seen that song either. Anybody know this one?

BANKROTN

Es iz haynt gevorn zeyer a shlekhte tsayt
Dos iz haynt yedn bavust,
Sokhrim ken ikh a sakh raykhe layt
Vos men geyt nor arum un men shmuest:
Eyner hot skhoyre un der tsveyter hot geld
Vi lang ken dos existirn
Aniderleygen ken dos dem grestn held
Un dan muz men bankrotirn

Bankrotn, bankrotn
Iz haynt oyf der gantse velt
Di tsayt iz zeyer shlekht,
Es hot zikh oysgelozt
Bay dem oylem dos geld
Vos kenen mir tuen,
Un vu zoln mir geyn
Kenen ken nor tuen ver s'hot
in himl ken men nisht flien
men darf aleyn farshteyn
Oy, oy, az men mus vern bankrotn.

Es hot zikh eyner gemakht a gesheft,
es iz im gegangen zeyer gut,
er bay zikh iz nisht geven geflept
un gegebn hot er nisht oyf kredit
un bald hot zikh ober farergert di tsayt
oyf vekslen hot er gemuzt gebn
di sokhrim iz yetst ts-tsu-zeyet? un tsu-shprayt
es iz im nist nikhe zayn lebn

Ikh ken a froy, vos zi iz geven zeyer sheyn
Nor gelebt hot zi mit an altn man
Ven der alter flegt kumen fun gesheft tsugeyn
Dan flegt zi inderheym nisht zayn
Fun gesheft flegt er brengen dos gantse geld
Un zi hot im gemakht tsu shand un shpot
Yetst iz im khoyshekh un finster zayn velt
un durkh ir muz er vern bankrotn

Labels: humor & satire, making a living (poverty), modernity, yiddish song, yiddish theater song