Lyr Req: L'Chaim (from 'Fiddler on the Roof')

Subject: L'Chaim' (from Fiddler)
From:
Date: 31 Jul 01 - 02:51 AM

Can someone post the lyrics to "L'Chaim" from Fiddler on The Roof (or email them to me)? Chords would help, too, but the tune seems to have pretty predictable chord changes. Tha

Subject: Lyr Add: TO LIFE / L'CHAIM
From: Joe Offer
Date: 31 Jul 01 - 03:14 AM

I disagree with the spelling of "L'Chaim" in this text, but here it is.
-Joe Offer (e-mail sent)-

---

TO LIFE
(from Fiddler on the Roof)
(Sheldon Harnick & Jerry Bock, 1964)

Here's to our prosperity, our good health and happiness, and most important ...
To life, to life, la kayim,
La kayim, la kayim, to life,
Here's to the father I tried to be,
Here's to my bride-to-be,
Drink la kayim, to life,
To life, la kayim,
La kayim, la kayim, to life,
Life has a way of confusing us,
Blessing and bruising us,
Drink la kayim, to life!
God would like us to be joyful, even when our hearts lie panting on the floor.
How much more can we be joyful, when there's really something to be joyful for?
To life, to life, la kayim,
To Tzeitel, my daughter--my wife,
It gives you something to think about,
Something to drink about,
Drink la kayim, to life!

(Le Morta!
Yes, Lazar Wolf?
Drinks for everyone!
What's the occasion?
I'm taking myself a bride!
Who is it?
Tevye's eldest, Tzeitel!)

To Lazar Wolf--
To Tevye!
To Tzeitel, your daughter--my wife!
May all your futures be pleasant ones,
Not like our present ones,
Drink la kayim, to life,
To life, la kayim,
La kayim, la kayim, to life,
It takes a wedding to make us say,
"Let's live another day,"
Drink la kayim, to life!
We'll raise a glass and sip a drop of schnapps in honor of the great
    good luck that favors you,
We know that when good fortune favors two such men, it stands to reason,
    we deserve it too!
To us and our good fortune!
Be happy, be healthy, long life!
And if our good fortune never comes,
Here's to whatever comes,
Drink la kayim, to life!

Heaven bless you both, to your health and may we live together in peace!
May you both be favored with the future of your choice,
May you live to see a thousand reasons to rejoice!

We'll raise a glass and sip a drop of schnapps in honor of the great
    good luck that favors you,
We know that when good fortune favors two such men, it stands to reason,
    we deserve it too!
To us and our good fortune!
Be happy, be healthy, long life!
And if our good fortune never comes,
Here's to whatever comes,
Drink la kayim, to life!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'L'Chaim' (from Fiddler)
From: GUEST,genie
Date: 31 Jul 01 - 12:18 PM

Thanks, Joe.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'L'Chaim' (from Fiddler)
From: Charlie Baum
Date: 31 Jul 01 - 12:26 PM

Pronounciation requirement (if you don't want to sound like you don't know what you're singing):

Those "k"s in "la kayim" above should be pronounced as gutteral fricatives ("ch" in "Bach" or "loch" or "channukah").

--Charlie Baum

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'L'Chaim' (from Fiddler)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 31 Jul 01 - 05:43 PM

Hey, Charlie - this is a family Website. Can you say "fricative" and get away with it?

-Joe Offer-

Subject: Chords Req: L'Chaim (Fiddler)
From: Genie
Date: 28 Aug 02 - 12:09 PM

Actually, upon trying to play this song, I realized the chord pattern is not quite as "predictable" as I predicted. I can make it sound "almost right" with just Em, B7, E, Am, and D, but it sounds like it needs a couple of others, and I haven't figured them out yet. (I'll probably slap myself when I find out how simple they are!)

If one of you just happens to have a lyric/chord key handy, it'd be great if you could post it. Mainly, if you just list what chords you use , it'll be easy to hear where they go.

Thanks,

Genie

Subject: Chords Add: L'CHAIM (from 'Fiddler on the Roof')
From: Sorcha
Date: 28 Aug 02 - 01:39 PM

From the piano score book:
In Eb
D7-9/D7/G7sus/G7/Cm
C7/Fm
Bb7/Ebmaj7/Abmaj7/Db/Dbmaj7
Bbm7/G7/D7-9/D7/G7sus/G7
Cm/C7/
Fm/Bb7/Ebmaj7
Abmaj7/Db/Bbmaj7/G7
C/C7/Fm/Cm
D7/G7/Cm--C7
Fm/Cm/D7
G/D7-9/D7/G7sus/G7
Cm/C7/Fm
Bb7/Ebmaj7/Abmaj7
Db/Dbmaj7/G7
Cm/(final ending--Cm/G7/Cm)

I have the whole Fiddler piano book--if you would like sheet music scanned and sent e mail, PM me with address.

Subject: Chords Add: L'CHAIM (from 'Fiddler on the Roof')
From: GUEST,gargoyle
Date: 28 Aug 02 - 01:41 PM

This should get you over the hump Genie -
Key of Eb minor HAVE FUN!!!

GARGOYLE

From the wedding scene rather than Mr. Offer's pub scene:

To (D7-9) Kudwm (D7) To (G7sus) (G7)L-(Cm)chai-im
Li-(C7)chai-im, L[-chai-im To Life (Fm)
If you've been (Bb7)lucky then (Ebmaj7) Monday was
(Abmaj7)no worse than (Db)Sunday (Dbmaj7)was
(Bbm7) l-(G7)chai-im To (D7-9)Life
(D7To (G7sus)Life, (G7L-(Cm)chai-im
L-(C7)chi-im L-chai-im to (Fm)Life
One day its (Bb7)honey and (Ebmaj7)rain sin cake
(Abmaj7)Next day a (Db)stomach (Dbmaj7)ache
(Bbm7)Drink L-(G7)chai-im To (C )Life (C7)
(Fm)Our great men have written (Cm)words for wisdom
To be (D7)used whan (G7)hard-ship must be (Cm)faced (C7)
(Fm)Life o-blig-es us with (Cm)hard ship
So the words of wisdom shouldn't go to (G) waste
To(D7-9)us (D7)and(G7sus)our(G7)good (Cm)fortune.
Be happy, be (C7)healthy, long(Fm) life
And if our (B7)good fortune (Ebmaj7)never comes
(Abmaj7)Here's to what (Db)ever (Dbmaj7
comes
(Bbm7)Drink L- (G7) chai-im to (Cm) Life

To Life To Life Lchaiim
Lchaiin, Lchaiim, To Life
Life has a way of confusing us,
Blessing and bruising us
Drink Lchaiim To life
To Life To Life Lchaiin
Lchaiim Lchaiim To Life
A gift, we seldom are wise enough,
Ever to prize enough
Drink ,Lcahiim, To Life
God would like us to be joyful
Even though our heats lie panting on the floor.
How much more can we be joyful
When there's really something to be joyful for
To Life, To Life, Lchaiim
Lchaiim, Lchaiim, To Life
It gives you something to think about,
Something to drink about,
Drink, Lchaiim, To Life

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'L'Chaim' (from Fiddler)
From: Genie
Date: 28 Aug 02 - 03:04 PM

Thanks, Sorcha, guest, and Gargoyle.

Joe emailed me the words to "L'Chaim" long ago, with a PS "Chords?  We don't need no steenking chords!"  So, although the song seemed to call for a rather complicated (by folk standards) chord progression, I figured I must be making it more difficult than necessary -- blocking, as it were.

Seeing the chords you folks have posted, I realize my first inclination was not far off.  I kinda suspected there were a couple of "sus" chords in there.  I toyed with diminished chords and they didn't sound right.  Interesting that I didn't "hear" the major 7ths (the nemesis chord of   some folkies, apparently) -- but I hadn't really sat down and worked through it.

Sorcha, yeah, if it's no trouble, do email me that piano score.  I already know "Sunrise, Sunset" and I have the lyrics and chords to "Matchmaker" and "If I Were A Rich Man."  But if it's easier to just email the whole thing, great.  And thanks.

Of course, piano scores for pop music and jazz are usually written in keys like E flat and B flat -- which are great for singing but not especially "guitar friendly," so I usually transpose to F, G, D, or C.  (Thank goodness there are capos!)
 

Here is what you gave us, Gargoyle, reformatted.
Genie

L'Chaim!  (from Fiddler on the Roof -- Sheldon Harnick & Jerry Bock, 1964)

    D7-9   D7  G7sus  G7   Cm
To Life!  To Life!  L'Chaim!
     C7                        Fm
L'Chaim, L'Chaim!  To Life!
                            Bb7            Ebmaj7
If you've been lucky, then  Monday was
Abmaj7                Db     Dbmaj7
no worse than Sunday was.
Bbm7    G7         D7-9
    L'Chaim! To Life!

     D7-9   D7  G7sus  G7   Cm
To Life!  To Life!  L'Chaim!
     C7                              Fm
L'Chaim, L'Chaim!  To Life!
                       Bb7           Ebmaj7
One day its honey and raisin cake;
Abmaj7             Db     Dbmaj7
Next day a stomach ache!
Bbm7      G7             D7-9
Drink  L'Chaim! To Life!

Fm                                           Cm
Our great men have written words for wisdom to be
D7                 G7                             Cm     C7
Used when hard-ship must be faced.
Fm                               Cm
Life obliges us with hardship, so the words of
                                             G
wisdom shouldn't go to waste!

    D7-9  D7  G7sus  G7    Cm
To us   and our good fortune.
                           C7                 Fm
Be happy, be healthy, long life
                     Bb7             Ebmaj7
And if our good fortune never comes
Abmaj7             Db     Dbmaj7
Here's to what ever comes
Bbm7      G7             D7-9
Drink  L'Chaim! To Life!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'L'Chaim' (from Fiddler)
From: M.Ted
Date: 28 Aug 02 - 04:54 PM

Easier way to play this in A minor, and more like the Russian gypsy song it is supposed to sound like. Sorry about the Bb, Genie, but I couldn't find away around it-- It sounds good with a thumb and fingers strum(using the backs of the nails) so it sounds like "Boom-Cha Boom-cha" and best if you play a thumb arpeggio, so it sounds like "Broom-Cha Broom-Cha"--

E7/ on the word "To", then :
(verse)
AmE7/Am Am/A7 A7/Dm Dm/
/G C/F Bb/E E7/Am Am/

(Bridge)
|Dm Dm/Am Am/E7 E7/Am A7/
Dm Dm/Am Am/B7 B7/E7 E7|

Repeat Verse--

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'L'Chaim' (from Fiddler)
From: Warsaw Ed
Date: 28 Aug 02 - 08:33 PM

There are several MIDI downloads of the melody at: www.musicalheaven.com - a good site for all Broadway musicals [including Gilbert & Sullivan!] Ed

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'L'Chaim' (from Fiddler)
From: Sorcha
Date: 28 Aug 02 - 09:09 PM

Genie, I will need your e mail addy--send by PM, OK? Do you want everything you don't have or just L'Chiam?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'L'Chaim' (from Fiddler)
From: Genie
Date: 29 Aug 02 - 12:34 AM

Thanks, Ted,
I was gonna have a friend transpose it to a more friendly key using ChordPro, but yours work fine.  (BTW, Bb is not hard to play if you can play a barred F chord.  Since that chord is movable, you just go up a few frets -- 2 frets down from the C chord, in fact.  I never could play "B" very well until I started using the full F chord; then it got easy.)

Sorcha, you can email it to me at [e-mail].  Any songs you want to send would be welcome.  I already know (play and sing) Sunrise, Sunset and Fiddler On The Roof, and I don't 'need' Matchmaker or If I Were A Rich Man, but I don't  have any of them in lyrics-with-chords format.  Whatever is easiest for you is fine.  Thanks so much.

Genie

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: 'L'Chaim' (from Fiddler)
From: GUEST,doons
Date: 13 Nov 10 - 03:26 PM

Hi! I'm desperate for piano music to L'chaim (fiddler on the roof).Can anyone email it to me please? [e-mail] cheers

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: L'Chaim (from 'Fiddler on the Roof')
From: AleBrider
Date: 19 Feb 11 - 12:42 PM

Hello!
I need!
for piano music to L'chaim (fiddler on the roof).
Can anyone email it to me please?

[e-mail]


Sorcha, if you can... sent me your whole Fiddler piano book, please!
Bye from Italy

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: L'Chaim (from 'Fiddler on the Roof')
From: GUEST,Sophia
Date: 03 Nov 12 - 06:01 AM

Hey! I would really like L'chaim piano sheet music! would you mind sending it to me please! Thank you so much! my email is [e-mail]

Sophia :)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: L'Chaim (from 'Fiddler on the Roof')
From: JJ
Date: 03 Nov 12 - 08:17 AM

Eleven years is a long wait to make a correction, but when Lazar Wolf calls out to the innkeeper, he calls him, "Reb Mordcha."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: L'Chaim (from 'Fiddler on the Roof')
From: GUEST
Date: 09 Jan 14 - 12:06 PM

I am a member of an adult B'nai mitzvah group that is having our service in a few weeks. We would like to conclude the service singing L'Chaim. Can you send us a copy of the sheet music? We would be so appreciative. We are a very small congregation, Temple Beth El of Williamsburg, Virginia.

Warmest regards and thanks.

Beth Rossheim ([e-mail])