The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #172360   Message #4172104
Posted By: Joe Offer
13-May-23 - 01:56 AM
Thread Name: A little Yiddishkeit-Hob Ikh Mir an Altn Dime/Daym
Subject: ADD: Hob ikh mir an altn daym
The performance is delightful, Gerry.

I found lyrics to "Hob ikh mir an altn daym" here:
https://images.shulcloud.com/7551/uploads/Documents/Songsheets-YIDDISHCONCERT5.31.20.pdf

HOB IKH MIR AN ALTN DAYM
Folk song, published by M. Gelbart in 1938

Hob ikh mir an altn daym. Tra-la-la, la-la-la-la
Iz der daym oykh nit mayn. Tra-la-la, la-la-la-la

Chorus: Lomir ale freylekh zayn
Kumt mit mir in shenk arayn,
Trinken bronfn, trinken vayn!
Tra-la-la, la-la-la-la

Nit keyn morgn, nit keyn haynt .....
Nit keyn khaver, nit keyn fraynt....

Hob ikh mir a gantsn toler .....
Vel ikh zayn der gantser tsoler....

Hob ikh nit keyn vayb un kind....
Bin ikh fray vi der vint .....

Lomir nit zayn vi di alte babes....
Lomir makhn fun mitvokh shabes!

All I have is an old dime, which isn’t even mine. But let’s throw our
cares away. Let’s be gay and have a drink without worrying about
today or tomorrow, about friends or relatives. If I find a dollar, the
treat will be on me. Let’s not be gloomy, like old wives – let’s turn our weekdays into joyful Sabbath days.

The lyrics above are exactly the same in Mir Trogn a Gezang, by Elanor Gordon Mlotek, pp 66-67 (Published by the Workmen's Circle, 1972 & 2000)

The melody sounds very familiar to me, and I couldn't figure out why. Then I found this: