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Vi Azoy Shloft Der Keyser?

from A Little Letter by Brivele

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lyrics

Rabosay, rabosay, khakhomim on a breg,
Kh’vel aykh fregn, kh’vel aykh fregn,
Entfert ale oyf mayn shayle:
Oh wise rabbi, I have a question:
Vi azoy trinkt der keyser tey?
How does the tsar drink his tea?
Vi azoy trinkt der keyser tey?


Me nemt a hitele tsuker,
You take a barrel of sugar,
Un me makht in dem a lekhele,
And you carve a hole in the top,
Un me gist arayn heyse vaser,
Pour in the hot water,
Un me misht, un me misht
And you stir, and you stir
Ot azoy, just like that, ot azoy,
Ot azoy trinkt der keyser tey.
That’s how the tsar drinks his tea.
Ot azoy trinkt der keyser tey.

Rabosay, rabosay, khakhomim on a breg,
Kh’vel aykh fregn, kh’vel aykh fregn,
Oh Rabbi, another question
Entfert ale oyf mayn shayle:
Vi azoy est der keyser bulbes?
How does the tsar eat potatoes?
Vi azoy est der keyser bulbes?

Me nemt a fesele puter
Un me shtelt avek dem keyser
Oyf der anderer zayt,
Un a rote soldatn, mit harmatn,
Shisn di bulbes durkh der puter
Dem keyser glaykh in moyl arayn!
So basically, you shoot a potato
From a cannon, through a wall of butter
Straight into the tsar’s mouth!
Ot azoy, ot azoy, just like that
Ot azoy est der keyser bulbes.
That’s how the tsar eats potatoes.
Ot azoy est der keyser bulbes.

One more question.
Rabosay, rabosay, khakhomim on a breg,
Kh’vel aykh fregn, kh’vel aykh fregn,
Entfert ale oyf mayn shayle:
Vi azoy shloft der keyser bay nakht?
How does the tsar sleep at night?
Vi azoy shloft der keyser bay nakht?

You fill a room full of feathers
Me shit on a fuln kheyder mit federn,
And the room is so full
Un me khmalet ahin arayn
That you have to
Dem keyser cram the tsar in, and
Un dray polk soldatn
Then you have three hundred soldiers
Shteyen a gantse stand guard
Nakht un shrayen all night.

And then they yell:
Shut Sha! the fuck Sha! up! Sha!
Just like that
Ot azoy, ot azoy
Ot azoy shloft der keyser bay nahkt.
That’s how the tsar sleeps at night.
Ot azoy shloft der keyser bay nahkt.

credits

from A Little Letter, released May 25, 2018
arranged by Brivele, adapted from Leo Low’s 1931 arrangement.

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Brivele Seattle, Washington

A discontented punky-klezy trio of Yiddishists.

Brivele is:

Stefanie Brendler (accordion, vox, glockenspiel, slide whistle)
Maia Brown (banjo, vox)
Hannah Hamavid (violin, ukulele, vox) ... more

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