Origins: Zulaika/Zuleika

Subject: Lyr Add: ZULAIKA
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 15 Feb 06 - 01:21 PM

Zulaika

Zulaika was fair to see
A young Persian maiden was she
She lived in Baghdad
Where all men are bad
But none was as bad as she
She lived in Baghdad
where all men are bad
But none was as bad as she

Her husband was very old
With millions in silver and gold
He kept her locked in
Away from all sin
For Persians are terribly bold
He kept her locked in
Away from all sin
For Persians are terribly bold

On her head she wore a tur-ban
Which came from the fields of I-ran
Where no one could see
She kept a small key
Which she threw out again and again
Where no one could see
She kept a small key
Which she threw out again and again

The first time she threw out the key
It fell by the old banyan tree
She sighed and she cried
The door opened wide
And in walked her lover Ali
She sighed and she cried
The door opened wide
And in walked her lover Ali

The next time she threw the key out
It fell by the old water spout
She sighed and she cried
The door opened wide
And in walked her lover Mahout
She sighed and she cried
The door opened wide
And in walked her lover Mahout

She threw out the key once again
Expecting her lover Sulieman
She sighed and she cried
The door opened wide
And in walked a whole caravan
She sighed and she cried
The door opened wide
And in walked a whole caravan

The leader he bowed his head low
Expecting her answer to know
The most of you stay
Zulaika did say
But children and camels must go
The most of you stay
Zulaika did say
But children and camels must go

This bawdy song was transcribed from a tape recording of a live performance by John Dwyer. I know nothing about authorship, age, or history. More information on the performance can follow later. He may have learned this from an Oscar Brand record, more information regarding that also to follow.

The tune is not written down but I can probably manage to email a clip to someone who can do the phrasing and notation if you'll let me know where to send it and how much is needed.

This is the first verse, with breaks to show syllables in the song:

Zu-lai-ka was fa-ir to see-e
A young Pers-ian mai-den was she-e
She lived in Bagh-dad
Where all men are bad
But none was as ba-ad as she-e
She lived in Bagh-dad
where all men are bad
But none was as ba-ad as she-e


SRS

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zulaika
From: Anglo
Date: 19 Feb 08 - 02:43 AM

Yes, absolutely a corrected typo (from my memory).

This was recorded many years ago by Oscar Brand, on one of his LPs of bawdy songs. I forget which. I only owned a couple, in the early 1960s, and they are long gone.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zulaika
From: GUEST,Lighter
Date: 19 Feb 08 - 11:30 AM

Brand's note disclaims any knowledge of the song's origin. It's in the limerick form, however, with the repeating refrains added.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zulaika
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 19 Feb 08 - 12:22 PM

Ah spelling. It's in DigiTrad as Zuleika.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zulaika
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Feb 08 - 03:49 PM

I think I took the name off of a cassette of my Dad's (John Dwyer) after I transcribed the words as he sang them. His writing is pretty messy. Is the version the same? I know I would have searched for it under several spellings before posting the lyrics (two years ago!) Maybe that was one of the down times for searching Mudcat.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zulaika
From: GUEST,Lighter
Date: 19 Feb 08 - 07:10 PM

Brand's version is just about identical to what you posted, Maggie.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zulaika
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Feb 08 - 11:14 PM

I didn't find any Oscar Brand albums in my Dad's collection, but he has a lot of cassettes I haven't organized. Back in the LP/Cassette days, we would record our LPs onto tape so we could listen to them in the car.

I know full well he was more than passing familiar with Oscar, so I can accept that that was his source. It's a very funny song. Not PC, (so what?) but funny.

SRS

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zulaika
From: GUEST,Phil
Date: 08 Dec 17 - 04:29 PM

I remember either hearing this from an Oscar Brand album, or his Let's Sing Out t.v. series in the early 60's. I remember the whole song...the last verse however I had never heard. Now the song makes sensewith the last verse included.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zulaika
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 10 Dec 17 - 06:28 PM

It's on Oscar Brand's album "Bawdy Songs and Backroom Ballads, Vol. 2" (1949).

You can hear it on YouTube.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Zulaika
From: Lighter
Date: 10 Dec 17 - 08:41 PM

According to the Library of Congress Catalog of Copyright Entries, Volume II of Brand's 12" Bawdy Songs and Back Room Ballads (AFLP-1806) was copyrighted on March 14, 1956.

Subject: Origins: Zulaika
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 Dec 17 - 08:48 PM

No listing for this song in the Traditional Ballad Index. Roud lists the song as #10484. There's only one citation in Roud - from Jerry Silverman's Dirty Song Book. I thought had the Silverman book, but I can't find it. Can somebody post the lyrics from Silverman?

---

Here are the lyrics we have in the Digital Tradition. They're similar to the Oscar Brand lyrics, but not exactly the same.

ZULEIKA

Zuleika was fair to see,
A fair Persian maiden was she;
She lived in Baghdad
Where all men were bad,
But nine none was so bad as she.
She lived in Baghdad
Where all men were bad,
But none was so bad as she.


Her husband was very old,
With millions in silver and gold.
He kept her locked in, away from all sin,
For Persians are very bold.
He kept her locked in, away from all sin,
For Persians are very bold.

On her head she wore a turban,
Which came from the looms of Iran.
Where no one could see she kept a small key,
Which she threw out again and again.
Where no one could see she kept a small key,
Which she threw out again and again.

The first time she threw the key out,
It fell by the old water spout.
She sighed and she cried as the door opened wide
And in walked her lover, Mahout.
She sighed and she cried as the door opened wide
And in walked her lover, Mahout.

The next time she threw out the key,
It fell by the old banyan tree.
She sighed and she cried as the door opened wide
And in walked her lover, Ali.
She sighed and she cried as the door opened wide
And in walked her lover, Ali.

She threw out the key once again,
Expecting her love, Suleiman.
She sighed and she cried and she virtually died
As in walked a whole caravan.
She sighed and she cried and she virtually died
As in walked a whole caravan.

The leader then bowed his head low,
And waited her wishes to know.
"The most of you stay," Zuleika did say,
"But the children and camels must go."
"The most of you stay," Zuleika did say,
"But the children and camels must go."

Recorded by Oscar Brand
@marriage @infidelity
filename[ ZULIKA
TUNE FILE: ZULIKA
CLICK TO PLAY
RG

Subject: RE: Origins: Zulaika/Zuleika
From: Mrrzy
Date: 11 Dec 17 - 09:19 AM

Great song. We had a lot of Oscar Brand, when I was growing up.

Subject: RE: Origins: Zulaika/Zuleika
From: Lighter
Date: 11 Dec 17 - 11:20 AM

Joe, that melody is a little more elaborate than Brand's, but they are clearly the "same."

In his book, "Bawdy Songs and Backroom Ballads" (1960), Brand writes, "I know nothing about the origins of 'Zuleika,' but will venture to say her succession of visitors enjoyed making their 'Persian to Persian' calls."