ADD: yiddish? take a match give a scratch

Subject: yiddish? take a match give a scratch
From: GUEST,Allan S.
Date: 06 Jul 00 - 10:17 AM

Does any one know a song sung in English with a fake Yiddish accent? Only words known as follows

Vunce I hed a cendy store. Business vas so bed,
I esked my vife vat to do, end dis is vat she sed:
Take a liddle gesoline, put it on de floor.
Take a metch, give a scretch, no more cendy store.

I heard this back in the 1950's. Also, a song with the lines:

If you don't know what you're talking about,
Ask the soda jerker,
He knows what he's talking about
From reading the Daily worker.

I guess these are from the New York area. Any ideas?

Subject: RE: yiddish? take a match give a scratch
From:
Date: 14 Aug 04 - 07:17 PM

Sorry, I can't help you out with "take a match give a
scratch," but I can add a little Yiddish humor to your
life.
Order,"Are Yentas, Kibitzers, & Tummlers Weapons
of Mass Instruction? Yiddish Trivia"
by
Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe
Malka Publications
19 Market Dr.
Syosset, NY 11791
$12 (plus $3 shipping and handling)

Subject: RE: yiddish? take a match give a scratch
From: Sorcha
Date: 14 Aug 04 - 10:58 PM

Where is Dr. Mark when we need him? The only Google links that came up were back to here. Sorry.

Subject: ADD: The Daily Worker
From: Joe Offer
Date: 15 Aug 04 - 12:37 AM

Well, the good old Socialist Songbook takes care of the second request:

THE DAILY WORKER
(Tune: Monkey Chased the Weasel)

Oh, all around our Union Square is
the land of the Daily Worker,
You'll see them standing everywhere,
reading the Daily Worker.
You go in the door of a soda store,
and talk to the soda jerker,
He knows the truth about the war
by reading the Daily Worker.

You go to a dance to look for romance
at waltzing or mazurka,
You have a chance to catch their glance —
by reading the Daily Worker.
The Eskimo, the Hottentot, the
Chinaman, and the Turka,
They know exactly what is what —
by reading the Daily Worker.

United Front was quite a stunt; it
took in many a sucker,
And many a dame with a Mayflower name
is rid-ding the Daily Wuh-ker.
Uncle Joe, as you might know, with
many a grin and smirker
Sees the line go over fine by
reading the Daily Worker.

Subject: I Had a Little Candy Store - Poof!!
From: Joe Offer
Date: 15 Aug 04 - 01:06 AM

As for the first one, maybe that's all there is to it I found another version at http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/
academic/languages/yiddish/mendele/vol2.111

I had a little candy store,
Business was so bad,
I asked mine mama what to do,
This is what she said.
Take a little gasoline,
Put it on the floor.
Take a match,
Give a scratch,
Poof, no candy store.

-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: yiddish? take a match give a scratch
From: GUEST,Cleo
Date: 30 Oct 04 - 11:51 PM

I sang this as a child in the 1950's to the tune of the Hatikva:

Vunce I hed a cendy store
Bizness vas so bed
I ask my musser vas to do
Dis is vat she sed
Tek a lil' gesoline
Shrpitz it on da floor
Take a metch
Give a scretch
Boom--no cendy store.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: yiddish? take a match give a scratch
From: GUEST,Guest, Eileen
Date: 24 Jun 16 - 03:51 PM

When I was between 2-3 years old, my grandfather taught me this song. My mother said he would phone me every day at lunch to hear me sing it. (perhaps singsong it?) That was in the late 1940s.

Abbie had a candy store,
business was so bad,
asked his wife what to do
and this is what she said,
take a little paper,
put it on the floor,
take a match
make a scratch,
no more candy store!

I didn't realize until I was an adult that the song was about arson!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: yiddish? take a match give a scratch
From: GUEST,Jake
Date: 04 Dec 16 - 07:18 PM

My cousin taught me this song back in the early 90's and we were both around 8. So it's still around!

Though he had a little added jig at the end

"smear it on the floor, take a match , make a scratch! no more candy store"

then added a little quick happy dance at the end, just repeating joyously

"No more candy store!! NO more candy stoooooreeee!! Take a match, Make a Scratch! No more candy store :)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: yiddish? take a match give a scratch
From: GUEST
Date: 28 May 17 - 12:04 AM

I learned a version from a fellow musician friend of mine in the late 70's while we were care=taking a mansion originally owned Horowitz Margareten family and it was sung to the melody of Hatikva, often at parties:

vonce I hed a kendy shtor, business vas so bed,
I esked mine vife, vat to do, dis is vat she sed:
take a ken mit kerosene, shpill it on de floor,
take a metch, give a scretch..Poof ! No more kendy shtor

ai ai ai ai no more kendy shtor..ai ai ai ai No more kendi shtor
take a metch..give a scretch..OY! (big ending) NO MORE KENDY SHTOR!!!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: yiddish? take a match give a scratch
From: GUEST,Knuckles491
Date: 13 Jan 18 - 11:26 AM

Moishe had a candy store, business was so bad.
Ask his wife what to do, this is what she said.
Get a little kerosene, spritz it on the floor.
Get a match, make a scratch...Poof! No more candy store.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: yiddish? take a match give a scratch
From: GUEST,Suzeleh
Date: 29 Nov 18 - 04:10 PM

My uncle sang this song. I learned it from another niece, who apparently was not familiar with Hatikva. Then one day she saw some official Israeli ceremony on TV, with Hatikva playing, and called our uncle, exclaiming, "They're playing 'Moishe'!". "Oh, you poor deluded child," he said.

I recently sang it while someone made a smartphone video of it. No idea where it's going to end up.

Our version:
Moishe hed a kendy store, bizness was so bed,
He esked his wife what to do. Dis is what she said:
"Moishe, take some gesoline, splesh it on de floor,
Take a metch, give a scretch, no more kendy store."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: yiddish? take a match give a scratch
From: GUEST,Big Apple
Date: 13 Apr 20 - 02:42 AM

I cant believe I happened on this. I learned a different variation of this song from my father in the 1960’s when I was young. In a Yiddish accent:

Izzy had a candy store the business was so poor
He took a match
And made a scratch
And the business was no more
Shave and a haircut 10 cents

Of course I taught this song to my daughter who is now teaching it to my two year old grandson.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: yiddish? take a match give a scratch
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Nov 20 - 12:55 PM

My Father in Law taught this to my kids: He grew up in the Bronx in the 1950's this was his version sung to the tune of the Hatikvah with a Yiddish accent:

Uncle Feivel had a store and business wasn't good
He asked his Tante what to do and this is what she said oyyyyyyy
Take a bottle kerosene and throw it on the floor
Take a match, make a scratch, no more candy store!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: yiddish? take a match give a scratch
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Feb 21 - 08:24 PM

My dad taught my sisters and I this song a long time ago:

Once I owned a clothing store, Business was so bad
So I asked my wife what to do, and this is what she said, oyyyy
Take a can of gasoline, put it by the door.
Light a match, let it catch and no more clothing store.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: yiddish? take a match give a scratch
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Aug 21 - 06:22 PM

For us we had:

Once there was a candy store, there business was so bad, I asked my mother what to to and this is what the said, take a bit of gasoline and shmear it on the floor, take a match, make a scratch, no more candy store!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: yiddish? take a match give a scratch
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 08 Aug 21 - 07:55 PM

"Abie, I'm so sorry to hear that your shop burnt down"
"Hush, that's tomorrow!"

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: yiddish? take a match give a scratch
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Nov 21 - 10:35 AM

Vonce I had a candy store business was so bad,
So I vent to the Rabbi and this is what he said.
Take a can of gasoline put by the door
Give a scratch with a match POOF NO MORE CANDY STORE!!

Subject: RE: ADD: yiddish? take a match give a scratch
From: GUEST,FooFoo
Date: 08 Feb 22 - 09:01 PM

Had a little candy store
Business was so bad
Asked my wife what to do and
This is what she said:

"Take a can a kerosene
Pour it on the floor
Take a match. Give a scratch.
No more candy store."

Oy yoy yoy yoy. No more candy store.
Take a match. Give a scratch.
No more candy store.

Subject: RE: ADD: yiddish? take a match give a scratch
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Feb 22 - 11:09 PM

Well, I can't say we've found this ditty in Yiddish yet. Maybe we could say it's in "Yinglish"??

Subject: RE: ADD: yiddish? take a match give a scratch
From: GUEST,Mel
Date: 14 Sep 22 - 08:19 AM

The version we learned from my Russian grandma was:

"Abie had a dry goods store
Business was so bad
Asked his wife for advice
This is what she said
Take a lot of kerosene
Spritz it on the floor
Take a match, give a scratch
Dry goods store no more."

Sang with a proper Yiddish accent and forgive possible lapse of memories aroundv60 years later. : )

Subject: RE: ADD: yiddish? take a match give a scratch
From: GUEST,Michael S
Date: 08 Jan 23 - 12:05 PM

Yes, I remember this from 55 years ago when I was in first grade, in a Hebrew School.
It is sung to the tune of HaTikvah, the Israeli national anthem. It cracked us kiddies up.

Subject: RE: ADD: yiddish? take a match give a scratch
From: BrooklynJay
Date: 08 Jan 23 - 10:31 PM

Arson? Nahhh....

Back in the day we used to call it Jewish Lightning!


Jay

Subject: RE: ADD: yiddish? take a match give a scratch
From: Mrrzy
Date: 15 Jan 23 - 12:30 PM

Dad used to sing these words when hearing the Israeli national anthem...

Subject: RE: ADD: yiddish? take a match give a scratch
From: GUEST,Laurence Lieberman
Date: 06 Jul 23 - 02:56 PM

I know this song from childhood and I am eighty years old. The song may be a lot older than you think it is.