Oi! Ik voel me goed (Non-English SLYT)
October 12, 2015 1:13 AM   Subscribe

The Amsterdam Klezmer Band performs their Klezmer rap song 'Chassid in Amsterdam'. Lyrics (in Dutch/Jiddish) in the description.

If you're eager for more: the band's website.
posted by Too-Ticky (22 comments total) 17 users marked this as a favorite
 
YouTube recommended this for me, and I thought it was fun: Itzhak Perlman plays Klezmer
posted by Joe in Australia at 2:47 AM on October 12, 2015 [1 favorite]


I like the klezmerified version of Talk Dirty To Me, too.
posted by ChuraChura at 3:53 AM on October 12, 2015 [2 favorites]


Via Google translate, the lyrics in English (needs more interpretation of the Yiddish parts):

I like lots of coffee, drink the wine Shabbos,
eat gefilte fisj, but never I do not eat pig,
then go to the market, remove chicken for the soup.
enter the Jewish trade, oi! I am feeling good.

Sjikse which is beautiful, very well yet for a goy,
but a maid lech for me, abi gezint as side by side,
go to the synagogue, pull big mouths,
smeigel with the beigel, know what I mean?

Surely you see me lernen entirely from the Torah,
development and verwikkel myself as a gabber,
evening to the 'King Dovid' sjikker I will then,
I feel very healthy as a chassid in AMSTERDAM.

I'm not mesjikkene but freilich I am,
in the sjnoge a goppe, I pull hard at the bell,
my snitch are so cold, lugged all day,
barrels with pickled herring and salt.

The Misjpoge is complete and comparable to the drama,
gossip back and forth, 'k collapsed on the kesekoege down,
boys with peijes, rebbes with a beard,
toges with fruit cups and girls with a cake.

The kalle has beaten a goser on the hook,
if they are married then quickly begins to complain;
"Hey Moshe, the liver is not kosher and you make sure that your
suit is lowered to the lewaje tomorrow!

And keep well still agree with it sjnorren around the square,
you know I want at Passover in Jerusalem are "
But hey, we have no ragmones with that man,
because he lives as a happy hasid in AMSTERDAM.ยจ
posted by beagle at 4:32 AM on October 12, 2015


Okay, I'll play. Corrected for GTranslate weirdness:

I really like my coffee, drink the Shabbos wine,
eat gefilte fisj, but never I eat swine,
then I go to the market, get chicken for the soup.
I feed the Jewish trade, oi! I am feeling good.

That Sjikse is so pretty, very nice for a goy,
but a meidelech for me, abi gezint so side by side,
go to the synagogue, put on a big face,
smeigel with the beigel, know what I mean?

Surely you'll see me lernen, entirely from the Torah,
develop and envelop myself like a gabber,
in the evening to the 'King Dovid', I'll get so sjikker,
I feel very healthy as a chassid in AMSTERDAM.

I'm not a mesjikkene but freilich I am,
in the sjnoge there's a goppe, I ring the bell hard
My hands are so cold, been slaving the whole day
barrels with pickled herring and lots of salt.

The Misjpoge is complete and so is the drama,
gossip back and forth, I fall down on the kesekoege,
boys with peijes, rebbes with a beard,
toges with fruit bowls and girls with a cake.

The kalle has caught herself a goser,
soon as they are married the complaining starts;
"Hey Moshe, the liver is not kosher, and make sure that your
suit is ironed for the lewaje tomorrow!

And you'd better quit your sjnorren around the square,
you know I want to be in Jerusalem at Passover"
But hey, we have no ragmones with that man,
He's living happily as a hasid in AMSTERDAM.
posted by Too-Ticky at 4:59 AM on October 12, 2015 [1 favorite]


smeigel with the beigel, know what I mean?

...no?
posted by Halloween Jack at 5:08 AM on October 12, 2015 [1 favorite]


You don't like a bit of smear on your bagel?
posted by MartinWisse at 5:27 AM on October 12, 2015


Just going through it quickly-- this is Dutch spelling of Dutch pronunciation of Yiddish that's a slightly different Yiddish dialect from the dialect spoken in the US so...yeah. I've included the more common American English spellings of the words used.

gefilte fisj = gefilte fish
abi gezint =abi gezunt: as long as you're healthy [you're happy]
sjikker = shicker= drunk
sjikse =shikse: non-Jewish women (derogatory)
goy = non-Jewish person (also slightly derogatory)
meidelech: girl
lernen: study
mesjikkene = meshugene: crazy
freylich= happy
mishpoche: family
peijes = peyes: side-locks
rebbes: rabbis, teachers
kalle = kalla: bride
sjnorren/schnorrer = moocher
lewaje= levaye= funeral
ragmones = rachmones = mercy
goppe = chuppe; wedding canopy

And looking at this and squinting at the Dutch, snoge is a Portuguese synagogue; kesekoege is a cheesecake of some sort; goser is a man; schmeigel is laughing.
posted by damayanti at 5:27 AM on October 12, 2015 [8 favorites]


Gozer has actually entered mainstream Dutch (possibly by way of bargoens, the Amsterdam underworld lingo that borrowed a lot of yiddish); somewhat of a bro/dude equivalent.
posted by MartinWisse at 5:31 AM on October 12, 2015 [3 favorites]


I'll also say: from an academic perspective, this is quite interesting (and connects with the Yiddish words being in bargoens that MartinWisse mentioned).

A colleague of mine has been working on a project looking at the ways in which Amsterdam is embracing its identity as a "Jewish" city, and doing things like having Hebrew and Yiddish loanwords in tourist materials (along with little glossaries) and very proudly talking about its Jewish heritage. There's also the SuperJews thing-- fans of AFC Ajax call themselves the SuperJews and will wave Israel flags, sing Hava Negilah at games, etc.

This then, is another example to add to all of this of non-Jewish people from Amsterdam getting really excited about something connected to Jewish culture, and in this case, it's even more interesting because as the band admits, there's not a lot of klezmer history in Amsterdam-- it's an Eastern European thing.
posted by damayanti at 5:44 AM on October 12, 2015 [1 favorite]


dayamanti, what a great article, thank you so much! That was positively enlightening.

I don't know much about the band at all, but they recently played at a wedding where I was, and I loved this song, which they performed there together with the groom. It was a wonderful experience and we all danced until our feet hurt, and then danced some more.
So I guess I wanted to share a part of this experience with all y'all and that's why I posted.
posted by Too-Ticky at 5:52 AM on October 12, 2015


I'll just add Too-Ticky, definitely don't take my comment as "This thing is Bad/problematic and you should Feel Bad"! Just-- there's a really interesting context behind all this (see also, say, white people playing jazz or people not from Appalachia playing bluegrass).
posted by damayanti at 6:11 AM on October 12, 2015


they recently played at a wedding where I was

Holy shit that's awesome.
posted by griphus at 6:18 AM on October 12, 2015


Sweet! Thanks for the reminder...I just bought tickets for their next Amsterdam show.
posted by Spumante at 6:21 AM on October 12, 2015


Also, they have a song called Naie Kashe which was covered/reinterpreted by the Berlin punk/klezmer band Rotfront as Money Money.

There's a whole bunch of crossover klezmer/punk/pop stuff going on in Europe right now (as well as a bunch of more traditional-but-contemporary klezmer) and it is great.
posted by griphus at 6:21 AM on October 12, 2015 [2 favorites]


No worries, I didn't take it negatively.
I don't feel that it's problematic that the band are Jewish people, doing a thing from a different part of Jewish culture. It also doesn't seem problematic that non-Jewish people enjoy the thing that they're doing. I'll readily admit, though, that I'm not the best person to decide whether or not some aspects of this may be problematic. I just like awesome music.

griphus: yes indeed it was.
posted by Too-Ticky at 6:21 AM on October 12, 2015


Also not to take attention away from the FPP, but if people want more klezmer, I put a post together on the American band Golem a while back.
posted by griphus at 6:24 AM on October 12, 2015 [1 favorite]


Gozer has actually entered mainstream Dutch .. somewhat of a bro/dude equivalent.

Take off Gozer.
posted by three blind mice at 6:56 AM on October 12, 2015 [1 favorite]


Yeah, this is just plain old Dutch with a few Jiddish words thrown in.
posted by monospace at 10:01 AM on October 12, 2015 [1 favorite]


Of course it is. Were you expecting something else?
posted by Too-Ticky at 10:15 AM on October 12, 2015


I believe Monospace is making a joke about "Jiddish" vs. "Yiddish".
posted by beagle at 11:05 AM on October 12, 2015


*whoosh*
Right over my head.
posted by Too-Ticky at 12:17 PM on October 12, 2015


To be fair though, Yiddish is always "just language X with a few Yiddish words thrown in". Even when it's Yiddish with a few Yiddish words thrown in.
posted by Joe in Australia at 2:01 PM on October 12, 2015


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