Obviously, this great classic song is the first track on the 1st disk. I personally find this song to be very moving, and even a bit sad. But what can I say, my mother loves it when I sing it to her. So maybe learn this song, and sing it to your mother.
The lyrics here are as sung by the great cantor Yossele Rosenblatt. Attached is also the mp3 track of Yossele singing this song. The song is difficult to translate, and loses alot of its meaning in translation, but I attempted to do so anyhow. So, please let me know what you think of my translation.
Click on the play button to listen to this track.
Transliteration:
Ikh vil bay aykh a kashe fregen, zogt mir ver es ken
Mit velkhe tayere farmegen bentcht got alemen?
Men koyft dos nisht fir kayne gelt, dos git men nor umzist
Oon dokh az men ferlirt dos, oy vi treren men fargist
A Tzvayten git men kaynem nit, es helft nisht kayn gevayn
Oy, ver es hot farloyrn, der vays shoyn vos ikh mayn.
A Yiddishe Mame,
Es gibt nisht besser oif der velt
A Yiddish Mame,
Oy vey vi bitter ven zi felt
Vi shayn in likhtig iz in hoiz ven di mame iz do
Vi troyerig finster vert ven Got nemt ir oif Olam Haboh
In vasser in fayer volt zi gelofn far ihr kind
nisht halten ihr tayer, dos iz gevis di gresten zind
Oy, vi gliklekh un raykh iz der mentsh vos hot
Aza shayne matuneh geshenkt foon G-t,
Nor ayn altichke Yiddishe Mame,
Oy, Mame Mayn!
איך װיל ביי אייך אַ קאַשע פֿרעגען, זאָגט מיר װער עס קען,
מיט װעלכע טײַערע פּאַרמעגען בענטשט ג־ט אַלעמען,
מ’קױפֿט דאָס נישט פֿאַר קײַנע געלט, דאָס גיט מען נאָר אומזיסט,
און דאָך אַז מען פֿאַרלירט דאָס אױ, װי טרערן מען פֿערגיסט,
אַ צװײטען גיט מען קײנעם ניט’ עס העלפֿט נישט קײַן געװײַן,
אױ, װער עס האָט פֿאַרלױרען, דער װײס שױן װאָס איך מײַן
אַ ייִדישע מאַמע, עס גיבט נישט בעסער אױף דער װעלט,
אַ ייִדישע מאַמע, אױ װײַ װי ביטער װען זי פֿעלט,
װי שײַן און ליכטיג איז אין הױז װען די מאַמע איז דאָ,
װי טרױעריג פֿינסטער װערט װען גאָט, נעמט איר אױף עולם הבאַ
אין װאַסער אין פֿײַער װאָלט זי געלאָפֿן פֿאַר איר קינד
נישט האַלטן איר טײַער, דאָס איז געװיס די גרעסטע זינד,
אױ װי גליקליך און רײַך איז דער מענטש װאָס האָט,
אַזאַ שײַנע מתנה געשײַנקט פֿון ג־ט,
נאָר אײן אַלטיטשקע ייִדישע מאַמע,
אױ מאַמע מײַן
Translation:
I’d like to ask of you a question, tell me who knows
With which dear possession does G-d bless everyone
It cannot be bought for no money, it’s given only for free
And when it is lost, how many tears are shed.
A second is given nobody, no cry can help,
Oy, he who has lost it, he already knows what I mean.
A Yiddishe Mame
It doesn’t get better on this earth
A Yiddishe Mame,
How bitter when she is missing.
How nice and bright it is at home, when the Mame is here
How sad and dark it becomes, when G-d takes her to Olam Haba (The World to Come)
In water, through fire, she would have run for her child
Not to hold her dear, is surely the greatest sin,
How lucky and rich is the one who has
Such a beautiful gift presented from G-d
Like and old Yiddishe Mame
My Yiddishe Mame!
22 comments
Comments feed for this article
November 8, 2008 at 2:19 pm
reem malul
this isnt all the song
and why cant i see more songs like
chiribim chiribom or cigarettes
January 5, 2010 at 8:12 am
sarale
hey,
i think there are a few versions of that song 😉
if you want another look at this link:
http://zemerl.com/cgi-bin//show.pl?title=Yiddishe+Mame
and too bad i can´t listen to that song by yossele rosenblatt…it´s said ” file not found”…
March 19, 2011 at 6:53 pm
Les Lieberman
I am very appreciative of the work which has gone into this website. To the person who couldn’t find Yossie Rosenblatt’s version, I found it on YouTube. Just put Yossie Rosenblatt in the YouTube finder and it should pop up. INCREDIBLE!!!!
March 26, 2012 at 11:14 pm
Kalpana
The file worked just fine for me. This blog article has become my go-to site whenever I blank on the lyrics. Les Yeux Noirs does a saucy version of this song with nice vocal harmonies, worth checking out.
May 15, 2019 at 7:35 am
jagdish
How true!Les Yeux Noirs is fantastic.
May 22, 2012 at 11:22 pm
D minz
Great song love it thanks keep up the good work love your site
January 21, 2013 at 5:53 pm
Netanel Zalevsky
beatuifull, and very good translation.
first time I really understood this song. its about the loss of your mother and indeed it very sad.
October 24, 2014 at 7:33 am
teartse schaper
Netanel writes “very good translation.” Maybe, but it seems to me (who, admittedly, does not know a iota of the Jiddish language, but, though being a Dutchman, I do know some German) that “es gibt nisht besser oif der velt” does NOT mean “It does not get better on this earth.” Am I right?
October 24, 2018 at 9:31 am
J Hencken
Thank you for this! A coule of tiny corrections: the last line in English would be ‘O mame (mama) mine!’ And for anyone who might have missed it, the title in regular English would be ‘A Jewish Mother’ or ‘A Jewish Mama’ (although why translate when the original is clear enough, and more evocative 😉 And the typo in the previous line: it should be ‘like an [not ‘and’] old…’
October 24, 2018 at 9:32 am
J Hencken
How would you translate that line?
June 18, 2013 at 5:37 pm
Bryf
A sheinem dank for your beautiful contribution to the yiddish culture. The version you’ve chosen is absolutely perfect, so moving, so well interpreted. My mother passed away 3 weeks ago and I can exactly feel what the song translate so wonderfully.
Bleibt gesunt un stark.
JPascal Bryf (France)
January 3, 2014 at 3:00 am
andy
Thank you for this .Gitte Shabbas .
November 6, 2015 at 4:12 am
Chaim Dovid Gewirtz
thank god when we have her around and thank god we had her for as long as we did
May 18, 2016 at 10:50 am
Roman Ruven
שלום עליכם, ווען איר זײַט קען מיר האָלפן, איך זוך ווירטיר פון ליד “אוי, וויי שלמזל” און “א יידיש לידל”, אמאָל איך געהער דאָסיקע לידיר פון די גרופפע”פריילעכס”
July 24, 2016 at 7:44 am
Bobby Perle
I grew up singing this with my mom to lyrics by Jan Pierce…. he sang in English except for the very end of the last verse (this is the segment I am seeking)….
August 13, 2016 at 1:35 pm
miki feder
It didn’t lose anything for me in translation.
And as I’ve lost my yiddishe mamme it is
punkt as in the song
November 16, 2016 at 2:09 pm
helen doulman
wonderful translation searched it far & wide & so pleased most wonderful meaningful song
December 25, 2016 at 7:26 am
Yiddishe maidel
Thanks so much for the translation I really enjoyed it
August 16, 2018 at 3:43 pm
judith zahn
“It doesn’t get better on this earth” is not the right translation of “Es gibt nisht besser oif der velt” this line is referring to the role of a having a yiddisher mama “there is nothing better (than that) in the world
December 16, 2018 at 8:47 pm
Frank
Another wonderful version that I highly recommend is from Yaffa Yarkoni. The lyrics are a bit different though.
Cheers,
December 16, 2018 at 8:57 pm
Frank
And yes, “es gibt nisht besser oif der velt” literally translates to “there’s nothing better on (in) the world (this planet), because “oif” means on and not in. Direct translation to German = Es gibt nichts besseres auf der Welt.
Cheers,
May 10, 2019 at 1:45 am
Miryam Abrams
דוב! בן היקר שלי! תודה רבה על השיר לאמא! אוהבת אותך מאוד מאוד – חיבוקים ונשיקות מאמא שלך – מרים