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

The Forvert recently featured this song called "S'iz gut far mir" aka S'iz git far mir - "It's good for me," as sung by Levy Falkowitz. Here's his version is on Youtube:

לוי פולקוביץ ותזמורתו של יוחי בריסקמן "ס'גוט פאר מיר" | Levy Falkowitz - Yochi Briskman Orchestra


Falkowitz credits the song to Boruch Hass, who performed it at "Sliches night in Kiev" in 1992. Hass wrote the second verse (and removed a reference to a pretty girl in the third verse) but otherwise...

... the song actually goes back many decades. Max Perlman sang it throughout his career, crediting it to Aaron Lebedeff.

Here is a relatively modern Perlman version, from "Max Perlman Greatest Hits Vol 1."



Perlman's first and second verses are also sung by Falkowitz, but his third verse is about politics (see below).

And here is a great version sung by Henri Gerro:


In the Henri Gerro version the second verse is about a pretty girl and the third verse is about a car, but I don't have the lyrics for you.

Lyrics in transliteration and translation after the jump. If you want the sheet music write to me.





It's disgusting to be a pauper, his life is bitter as gall. One's heart is gloomy and miserable because poverty is whistling everywhere. It's best to be a rich man, that's a life without worry or pain, you don't have to be fair to anyone, it's marvellous to be rich. I think it's best to be healthy and have money in the bank.

It's good for me and you, it's good for everybody. It's good for this guy and that one, it isn't bad for anybody. It's good for big and small, for old people, it's good by day and by night, it's good at any time.

The Hass second verse:
Chopped liver and kreplekh, sausages with the fat pouring out of them, roasted plums and apples sprinkled with salt and pepper. It goes on to enumerate a bunch of foods I'm not familiar with, ending with a tsholent accompanied by a cold beer.

A herring with fresh tomatoes, dressed up with olives and onions! A borsht with hot potatoes drizzled with cold sour cream! And in addition, a good roast beef that smells so fresh and fine, with a green peppercorns, and a good bottle of wine.

Then Perlman sings: And a pretty girl by the table, give her a tasty kiss, and is that so bad, a thing like that?" But at this point Falkowitz replaces this couplet with: "A beautiful table set with horseradish and gefilte fish."

Perlman concludes:

One Jew belongs to the right wing party. A second Jew is left-wing and wants to be more radical than they are. A third Jew is a Communist and shouts [something I didn't catch]. The fourth is half dead and doesn't know which way is up. But as I see it, our country comes first. And it's a pretty fine country.

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