Mayn bobe hot gezogt mayn mame

“Zay erlekh mayn kind un fayn

Vest du oysvaksn a sheyne dame, vet

yeder mikh mekane zayn”

Mayn mame hot fun di verter

gelitn nebekh azoy fil

Un iberal oyf ale erter

hot zi gezukht in der shtil

Refrain

A yidish yingl

Iz dokh ziser fun vayn

A yidish yingl

Hot dokh toyzenter kheyn

Di oygn zaynen

Vi koyln shvarts

Zey glien un brenen

Adurkh a harts

Verse 2

Un ikh bin, ir zolt es visn

Punkt vi mayn mame iz geven

Ich hob oykh a geshmak, keyn miesn

Ir vet es bald aleyn zen

Ot dort zitst a bokher a sheyner

Nor du kenst zayn mayn kavalir

Folg mir zay zhe du nor mayner

Vayl ich lib gor on a shir

Refrain

Verse 3 (not on Tango Yona CD)

Mayns a khaverte keyn miese afile

Hot zikh gor a sheygets farvolt

Geven a voyle a frume a shtile

Poshet optsuvegn mit gold

Ober ikh hob zi oyfn oyg

Un zog ir muser on a shir

A sheygets zog mir tsu vos dir toyg

Halt ikh in eyn shrayen tsu ir

Refrain

My grandmother said to my mother

Be upright and refined

If you grow up to be a fine lady

everyone will envy me

My mother, from these words

suffered, nebekh so much

And everywhere, in every place

she quietly searched

Refrain

A Jewish boy

is sweeter than wine

A Jewish boy

has thousands of charms

His eyes are

like black coals

They shine and burn

through your heart

Verse 2

And I am, you should know

exactly like my mother was

I have taste, not bad

as you will soon see

There sits a boy, a good-looking one

Only you can be my beau

Follow me, my own

Because I love without measure

Refrain

Verse 3 (not on Tango Yona CD)

A girlfriend of mine, not an ugly one even,

Got an urge for, of all things, a non-Jewish boy

She was good, religious and quiet,

Worth her weight in gold

But I’m keeping an eye on her

And I preach to her without end

A non-Jewish boy? Tell me, what good is that to you?

I keep yelling at her