Aaron Lebedeff - What Can You Mach? - S'is America (English translation)
Artist: Aaron Lebedeff (אהרן לעבעדאוו)
Song: What Can You Mach? - S'is Ameri
...
English translation
What Can You Do? It's America
It wasn't hard for me to come to America
I thought I'd become a rabbi and grow out my beard
I had two pretty peyes, like any pious Jew
But in the end, I didn't have the beard or the peyes
If you ask me, what's the meaning of this? How can it be?
Here's the answer, my dear friend:
What can you do? It's America!
That's how they do things here
What can you do? It's America!
Even a Jew has a [shaved] face like goy
You won't see any traces of peyes here
It's the young women who have the peyes!
What can you do? It's America!
It's America! What can you do?
Here in America, everything is upside-down
The men shave and the women grow beards
What can you do? It's America!
Oy, America, and nothing else!
In Europe, the girls get married
And afterwards they have children, exactly a year later
In America, it's different. People are always saving time
One gets married later, but has the children sooner
If you ask me, what's the meaning of this? How can it be?
Here's the answer, my dear friend:
What can you do? It's America!
Anything can happen here, I gotta tell you
What can you do? It's America!
Morals and money don't go together
Here, people are certainly trying to save expenses
That's why they have a wedding at the same time as the bris!
What can you do? It's America
It's America! What can you do?
So when the bride and groom come home from the wedding
Well, there's a cradle, and in it - a baby, already prepared!
What can you do? It's America
Oy, America, and that's all!
...
Yiddish
What Can You Mach? - S'is America
Keyn Amerike tzu kumen, hob ikh keyn mi geshport
Kh'hob gedenkt a rov tzu vern un farlosn zikh a bord
Kh'hob gehat tzvey sheyne peyes, vi yeder frumer yid
Tzum sof onshtot a bord hob ikh di peyes oykhet nit
Vet ir mir fregn: S'taytsh? Vi ken dos zayn?
Der terets derfun iz, libe fraynt mayn':
Vot ken you makh? Es iz Amerike!
Do in land do putzt men zikh azoy
Vot ken you makh? Es iz Amerike!
Afile der yid hot dem ponim mitn goy
Az fun peyes do zet men bay keynem nit keyn shpor
Do trogn zikh di peyelech ale meydlekh gor
Vot ken you mach? Es iz Amerike
S'iz Amerike, un vot ken you makh?
Az do in Amerike iz altzding farkert
Di mener - zey sheyvn zikh, un bay di vayber shprotzn berd
Vot ken you mach? Es iz Amerike!
Oy, Amerike, un bol'she nye tchevo!
In Yurop makht men khasene yunge meydlekh gor
Un nakher hobn zey kinder, vi es firt zikh punkt tzum yor
In Amerike iz gor andersh, me nemt zikh zayt on shir
Me hot khassene do shpeter, nor di kinder hot men frier
Vet ir mir fregn: S'taytsh? Vi ken dos zayn?
Der terets derfun iz, libe fraynt mayn'
Vot ken you mach? Es iz Amerike
Do ken pasirn altz, zog ikh aykh
Vot ken you mach? Es iz Amerike
Az do aylt men zikh dokh mit a yeder zakh
Do zukht men tzu seyvn ekspenses af gevis
Derfar makht men di khassene tzuzamen mitn bris!
Vot ken you mach? Es iz Amerike!
S'iz Amerike un vot ken you mach!
Az khosn-kale fun der khupe aheym nor me geyt
Iz shoyn dortn a vigele mit a kind oykh ongegreyt!
Vot ken you makh? Es iz Amerike!
Oy, s'iz Amerike aleyn un 'dets ol'
Aaron Lebedeff - "A Chazindel In America"
Https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38JeU32HPYg&feature=youtu.be