Der Rebbe Elimelech

Der Rebbe Elimelech is a Yiddish song published in 1927 by the communist satirist Moyshe Nadir and loosely based on the song Old King Cole.[1]

This article is about a twentieth century Yiddish song. For the Hasidic rebbe the song is about, see Elimelech of Lizhensk.

Lyrics and translation

(first verse)

Yiddish

Yiddish lyrics:[2]

Az der Rebbe Elimeylekh

Iz gevorn zeyer freylekh,

(Iz gevorn zeyer freylekh, Elimeylekh,)

Hot er oysgeton di tfilin

Un hot ongeton di briln

Un geshikt nokh di fidlers di tsvey.

Un di fidldike fidlers

Hobn fidldik gefidlt.

Hobn fidldik gefildt hobn zey!

English translation

When Rabbi Elimelekh

Became happy,

(Became happy, Elimelekh)

He took off his tefillin

And he put on his glasses

And he sent for his two fiddlers.

And the fiddling fiddlers

Fiddlingly fiddled!

Oh, they fiddlingly fiddled, they did!

References
  1. Paul Kriwaczek, Yiddish Civilisation, Vintage Books, © 2005, p. 247: 'Der Rebbe Elimelech,' inspired by the children's song 'Old King Cole,' was the work of a Communist satirist... Isaac Reis, who went by the pen-name Moshe Nadir, Moses the Rare."
  2. https://folkways.si.edu/mark-olf/der-rebbe-elimelech-the-rabbi-elimelech/judaica/music/track/smithsonian
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