2024 season

Dos Land Is Mayn Land

Based on “This Land Is Your Land” by Woody Guthrie, 1940 Yiddish lyrics by Linda Gritz and Daniel Kahn, with Michael Alpert and Josh Waletzky

Kh’hob mir gevandert unter hashamayim, Aroys fun midber, vi mi-mitsrayim, Gezukht a nayem yerushalayim, Dos iz a land far mir un dir.	I wandered under the heavens, Out of the desert, as though from Egypt, Looking for a new Jerusalem, This is a country for me and you.
Ikh gey ariber di berg un teler, Arumgeringlt fun zise keler. Di ritshkes murmlen, di feygl zingen: Dos iz a land far mir un dir.	I walk over mountains and valleys Surrounded by sweet voices. The streams murmur, the birds sing: This is a country for me and you.
Kh’ze a groysn moyer mit a shild vos vornt: Vil men araynet, shteyt az me tor nit, Nor af yener zayt, shteyt dortn gornit, Ot iz di zayt far mir un dir.	I see a big wall with a sign that warns: If you want to enter, it says it’s forbidden, But on the other side, it says nothing, That is the side for you and me.
Gey ikh mir voglen, di zun fun oybn, Nor beyze vintn tseblozn shtoybn, Durkh di tumanen, her ikh gezangen: Dos iz a land far mir un dir.	I go wandering, the sun above, But evil winds are blowing dust, Through the haze, I hear singing: This is a country for me and you.
Af nase gasn, in tife shotns, Ze ikh vi mentshn betn nedoves. Bay aza dales, tu ikh zikh klern Tsi dos iz a land far mir un dir.	On wet streets, in deep shadows, I see people begging for change. To see such poverty, I wonder, If this is a country for me and you.
Es ken shoyn keyner undz nit farshtern, Di fraye vegn undz nit farvern. Nito keyn tsamen, ven nor tsuzamen. Dos iz a land far mir un dir.	There’s no one who can stop us, Or forbid us the paths of freedom. There are no barriers, if only we are united. This is a country for me and you.

Vortsl un Fligl (Roots and Wing)

vortslUnFligl.mcsz musescore file* 
vortslUnFligl.pdf
vortslUnFligl.pdf bigtext-bass

mp4 recordings

vortslUnFligl-all_parts.mp4
vortslUnFligl-soprano.mp4

Vortsl un fligl, (3x) 
Beyde, baglaykh, 
Vortsl un fligl, (3x) 
Barg un taykh.

On a vortsl, nishto keyn veg, 
On a fligl, umtsilike teg. 

Vortsl un fligl… 

Amol hot a khokhem geshribn, 
Di verter zaynen undz geblibn: 
“Nisht nor a mentsh, 
Nor oykh a folk 
Darf hobn a zikorn... 
On zikorn, [volt a] folk 
Nisht kliger, nisht beser [gevorn]." 

Vortsl un fligl… 

Mit a vortsl, nokh fer farshteyn, 
Mit a fligl, nokh vayter zen. 

Vortsl un fligl... 

Root and wing, 
Both, together, 
Root and wing, 
Mountain and stream. 

Without a root, there is no way. 
Without a wing, aimless days. 

Root and wing… 

A sage* once wrote, 
And his words have stayed with us: 
“Not just a person, 
But a people 
Must have a memory….. 
Without memory, a people [could] 
Not grow wiser or be er.” 

Root and wing… 

With a root, deeper understanding, 
With a wing, greater vision. 

Root and wing… 

*I.L. Peretz 
(3x

Di Tsunkunft

musescore* pdf Lyrics:

o, di velt vet vern yinger,
un dos lebn laykhter, gringer,
yeder kloger vet a zinger
vern, brider, bald.

loz dos folk nor vern kliger,
un faryogn dem batriger,
im, dem fuks, un oykh dem tiger
fun zayn sheynem vald.

Oh the world will glow with beauty
Love enhanced and hatred puny
Between every state and country
People tearing down walls

loz di glaykhkeyt nor bazign
farbrekhn, shvindl un lign,
loz der mentsh nor endlekh krign
mentshlekhn farshtand.

loz dos folk zikh nor nisht bangen
frish a hoyb zikh tsu derlangen
un zikh nemen - nisht farlangen -
zayne rekht oyf der erd.

mutik brider, mutik shvester!
yener kamf, der letster, grester
ruft aykh fun di tukhle nester*
oyfn frayen feld.

And the world will become freer
Freer, newer, younger, dearer
And the truth within her clearer
Ringing clear as a bell

alzo, mutik in di rayen,
in di rayen, tsu bafrayen
tsu bafrayen un banayen
undzer alte velt.

As you struggle become braver
Activist and liberator
Be a hero and creator 
Re-imagining our world

pleytem tsuzamen

musescore*

dos naye lid

musescore*

No matter how far away the time Of love and peace, Still it will come, whether soon or late, That time––it’s no dream!

I hear the song of love and peace, The mighty singing; And every note of the song asserts: The sun has risen!

The night is ending, the world is awakening With hope and joy and striving. You hear––in the air a voice calls To happiness, to joy, to life!

Un zol vi vayt__ nokh zayn di tsayt__ Fun li-be un fun sho-lem, Dokh ku-men vet, tsi fri, tsi shpet, Di tsayt es iz keyn sho-lem! Dokh ku-men vet, tsi fri, tsi shpet, Di tsayt es iz keyn sho-lem!

lkh her dos lid__ fun li-be, frid,__ Di mekh-ti-ge ge-zan-gen; Un ye-der ton fun lid zogt on: Di zun iz oyf-ge-gan-gen! Un ye-der ton fun lid zogt on: Di zun iz oyf-ge-gan-gen!

Es ekt di nakht__ di velt der vakht__ Ful hof-nung, lust un shtre-bn. Du herst in luft a shti-me ruft: Tsu glik un freyd un le-bn! Du herst in luft a shti-me ruft: Tsu glik un freyd un le-bn!

dos naye lid cool band

a shtik fun harts

musescore

May Lid

pronunciation

(Right click to control movie)

mp4 midi score of May Lid

originals

• score
• lyrics and translation

musescore* file (rt click save as)

alto

just Alto part

bass

pdf

• bass part w lyrics Yiddish-English

mp4

• just Bass part

Di Arbuzn

http://www.abvchorus.org/resources/print/Di%20Arbuzn%20-%20SATB.pdf

http://www.abvchorus.org/resources/print/Di%20Arbuzn%20lyrics%20and%20translation.pdf

 Poem by Mendl Abarbanel (1888-1957), Soviet Yiddish poet
 Set to music by Ben Yomen (1901-1970), born in Ukraine, emigrated to US
 and taught music at Arbeter Ring shuln and Camp Kinder Ring
 Song made popular by the Pennywhistlers, an all-woman folk group led by
 ethnomusicologist Ethel Raim
 Yiddish Lyrics English translation (not singable)

S’iz der step shoyn opgeshorn,	The steppes have been mowed,
S’iz der step shoyn opgeshorn,	The steppes have been mowed,

 S’iz der step shoyn opgeshorn,
 Un shoyn alts tsunoyfgenumen.
 Libster mayner, kum tsu forn,
 Ikh vel vartn oyf dayn kumen, hey!
 Di arbuzn zaynen tsaytik,
 S’geyt di zaft fun zey ariber,
 Ful mit ziskayt ongegosn,
 Vi mayn harts iz ful mit libe.
 Un di karshn, libster mayner,
 Zaynen shvarts vi dayne oygn.
 Ongeshotn oyf di beymer
 Un di tsvaygn zikh azh boygn.
 Kum tsu forn, libster mayner,
 Un genug shoyn undz tsu troymen,
 Rayf un tsaytik iz mayn libe,
 Vi s’iz tsaytik mayne floymen!

 The steppes have been mowed,
 And everything has been gathered.
 My dearest, come visit me -
 I await your arrival.
 The watermelons are ripe,
 Their juice is overflowing,
 They’re full of sweetness,
 As my heart is full of love.
 And the cherries, my dearest,
 Are black like your eyes.
 The trees are loaded
 And the branches are bending.
 Come visit me, my dearest,
 And enough of this dreaming.
 My love is ripe and ready,
 Ready as my plums are!

Bob:
<html5media >http://www.abvchorus.org/resources/audio/di_arbuzn/Di%20Arbuzn%20Derek%20bass.mp3</html5media>

Star Spangled Banner redsox

starSpangledBanner.mscz

musescore

*to play musecsore files download app at https://musescore.com/apps for mobile and 
 for desktop windows and mac