A Velt In Lied (A World In Song)

Henry 'Hank' Sapoznik is a man on a mission -- curate and digitize 6000+ 78 RPM shellac records, the world's largest collection of Yiddish music dating back to the early 1900s. Mr. Sapoznik is great story teller, funny as heck (he is Jewish after all), and he sings and plays to boot. Here he is doing a rendition of Rubin Doctor's (1882-circa 1940) Ikh Bin A 'Border' Bay Mayn Vayb, a funny story of a man who divorced his wife but moved back in as a rent-paying boarder to enjoy the comforts of home without the complications of marriage.

Original lyrics below, courtesy The Robert and Molly Freedman Jewish Music Archive

Ikh bin shoyn vider 'singl'
Punkt 'zoy vi a yingl,
Mit mayn vaybl hob ikh zikh geget.
Gedenkt hob ikh tsu 'mufn,'
A 'rum' gezukht tsu shlofn,
Hot mayn vaybl mikh ibergeredt:
--Vos darftstu zukhn glikn,
In fremde 'rums' zikh shtikn,
Un zayn aleyn un redn tsu di vent,
Blayb do iber punkt vi fri'r
Zay a 'border' yetst bay mir.
Vi a fremder tsol ikh ir dem rent.

Refrain:
Ikh bin a 'border' bay mayn vayb,
Au gut, ay voyl, ay gut,
Mener, iz dos a tay'rer 'dzhab'
Ay gut, ay voyl, ay gut.
Zi 'atendet' mikh mit ales,
Ven ikh kum fregt zi keyn shayles,
Ikh bin a 'border' bay mayn vayb.

Ikh zog aykh yetst oysdriklekh
Az ikh fil zikh gliklekh,
Beser als a 'border' eyder man.
Ikh darf mayn vayb nit hitn
Un onkumen in mitn,
Ven der 'butsher' brengt dos fleysh arayn.
Ikh bin gants fray fun zorgn,
Ikh darf nit layen, borgn,
Nit arbetn un brengen ir dos gelt.
Nor tsayt ikh bit in 'bord' bay ir,
Iz mir gut gor on a shir,
Ik es un trink nor
Un ikh bren a velt.

Es iz a fargenign,
Ales ken ikh krign,
Vi a fremder 'border' bay mayn vayb,
Ikh bin gornit keyn griner,
Un yedn tog nokh 'diner'
Leyg ikh zikh tsu azoy tsum tsayt-fartrayb.
Oy, frier flegt zi mir sheltn
Un iberkern veltn
Gor mit a fremdn 'border' in mayn shtib,
Nor tsayt ikh bin in 'bord' bay ir,
Iz zi azoy gut tsu mir,
Es kost mir bilik un zi hot mik lib.