Es hilkht op tsu mir klavirn-shpil

Arum mir shteyen milionen

mentshn vos laydn fil

Nemt mikh on far dem folk der tsorn

fun di ale vos laydn ot-o-do

Fun ale vaytn, fun ale tsaytn

hert men shpiln dem tango

Shik mir a shtral

Vos zol balaykhtn mayne vegn

Tsutrayb dem vint

Vos er bashevet antkegen

Shik mir di zun zi zol oystrikenen di trern

Vos yorn fil, zey flisn shtil

Un kenen nit oyfheren

Mikh getreysn hot er, az er vet kumen

Shoyn lang az er avek iz in der shlakht

Gegebn hot er mir a bintl blumen

Un mir geheysn: Vart!

Un azoy shtey ikh shoyn teg un yorn

Mit di blumen vart ikh ot-o-do

Vemen ikh bagegn, loyf ikh antkegen

Zingt mir yeder dem tango

Shik mir a shtral

Vos zol balaykhtn mayne vegn

Tsutrayb dem vint

Vos er bashevet antkegen

Shik mir di zun zi zol oystrikenen di trern

Vos yorn fil, zey flisn shtil

Un kenen nit oyfheren

Gasn tumln, roysh fun cabaretn

Gold, briyantn zet men on a shir

Champagne, vaynen, roych fun sigaretn

Dos fartsoybert (batsoybert) oykh mir…

Brekhn mikh di fis fun trotuarn

Un oykh fun dem hinger vos mikh shvakht

Shlof ikh oyf di benk fun bulvarn

In a vinter triber nakht

Ken gevis der politsay nit laydn

Vos ikh kvetsh di bretlekh ot-o-do

Dan mit zayn shtekn tut er mikh vekn

Zing ikh im dem tango

Shik mir a shtral

Vos zol balaykhtn mayne vegn

Tsutrayb dem vint

Vos er bashevet antkegen

Shik mir di zun zi zol oystrikenen di trern

Vos yorn fil, zey flisn shtil

Un kenen nit oyfheren

Un kenen nit oyfhern

I’m standing under huge balconies

Piano playing echoes to me

Around me stand millions

People who suffer so much

Rage [צארן] for the people seizes me

From all those who suffer right here

From all far distances, from all sides

You can hear playing this tango

Send me a ray

That will light up my ways

Drive away the wind that roars [?] against me

Send me the sun to dry up the tears

That for many years have flowed silently

And cannot stop

He comforted me that he would come

Long ago already, when he went away to the battle

He gave me a little bunch of flowers

And told me: Wait!

And thus I have already been standing for days and years

With the flowers I wait right here

Anyone I meet, I run towards

And each of them sings me this tango

Send me a ray

That will light up my ways

Drive away the wind that roars [?] against me

Send me the sun to dry up the tears

That for many years have flowed silently

And cannot stop

Streets in excitement, noise from cabarets

Gold, jewellery you can see without measure

Champagne, wines, smoke from cigarettes

This enchants me also…

My feet are breaking me from the sidewalks

And also from the hunger which makes me weak

I sleep on the benches on the boulevards

On a dreary winter night

The policeman certainly can’t stand it

That I am squeezing the little boards [of the bench] here

Then with his stick he wakes me up

So I sing him this tango

Send me a ray

That will light up my ways

Drive away the wind that roars [?] against me

Send me the sun to dry up the tears

That for many years have flowed silently

And cannot stop

And cannot stop