|
Tates, mames, kinderlekh
Tates, mames, kinderlekh (Yiddish: טאַטעס מאַמעס קינדערלעך, lit. 'Fathers, mothers, children'), also known as Barikadn (Yiddish: באַריקאַדן, lit. 'Barricades'), is a Yiddish song from the 1920s associated with the socialist General Jewish Labour Bund movement.[1][2] The song describes a workers' strike in Łódź; as men, women and children joined in to construct barricades in the streets of the city.[1][3] Tates, mames, kinderlekh was written by Shmerke Kaczerginski, who later became a Communist Party activist and a partisan fighter.[1][2] Kaczerginski was only 15 years old at the time the song was written in 1926. The song rapidly became widely popular in the Jewish community in Poland.[2]
Recordings
- "In Love And In Struggle: The Musical Legacy Of The Jewish Labor Bund", featuring Zalmen Mlotek, Adrienne Cooper, Dan Rous with The New Yiddish Chorale and The Workmen's Circle Chorus, 1999 [translates the lyrics into English] Recording
- "The Klezmatics - On Holy Ground", The Klezmatics, 2010 Recording
- "A Tribute to Vilna", Jewish Labour Bund Melbourne, 2013 Recording
- "In Der Heym/Down Home", Michael Alpert & Craig Judelman, 2023 [translates the lyrics into English] Recording
Lyrics
| Yiddish[2]
|
Transliteration[2]
|
Translation[2]
|
| טאַטעס מאַמעס קינדערלעך בױען באַריקאַדן
|
Tates, mames, kinderlekh, boyen barikadn,
|
Fathers, mothers, children, raising barricades,
|
| אױף די גאַסן גײען אַרום אַרבעטער־אָטריאַדן
|
oyf di gasn geyen arum arbeter-otryadn.
|
Workers' battalions taking to the streets.
|
| ס׳איז דער טאַטע פֿרי פֿון שטוב אַוועק אױף דער פֿאַבריק
|
s'iz der tate fri fun shtub avek oyf der fabrik,
|
Father left home early, to the factory gone,
|
| וועט ער שױן אין שטיבעלע ניט קומען הײַנט צוריק
|
vet er shoyn in shtibele nit kumen haynt tsurik.
|
Won't be coming home to us any time too soon.
|
| ס׳ווײסן גוט די קינדערלעך דער טאַטע וועט ניט קומען
|
s'veysn gut di kinderlekh, der tate vet nit kumen,
|
The kids know well the reason why father won't return,
|
| ס׳איז דער טאַטע הײַנט אין גאַס מיט זײַן ביקס פֿאַרנומען
|
s'iz der tate haynt in gas mit zayn biks farnumen.
|
He's taken to the streets today and brought along his gun.
|
| ס׳איז די מאַמע אױך אַוועק אין גאַס פֿאַרקױפֿן עפּל
|
s'iz di mame oykh avek in gas farkoyfn epl,
|
Mother too is in the street, off to sell some apples,
|
| שטײען אין קיך פֿאַריתומטע די טעלער מיטן טעפּל
|
shteyen in kikh faryosemte di teler mitn tepl.
|
Leaving orphaned in the kitchen all the pots and dishes.
|
| ס׳וועט ניט זײַן קײן וועטשערע" זאָגט חנהלע די יאַטן"
|
"s'vet nit zayn keyn vetshere", zogt khanele di yatn,
|
"Don't expect to eat supper", says Khanele to the boys,
|
| "ווײַל די מאַמע איז אַוועק צוהעלפֿן דעם טאַטן"
|
"vayl di mame iz avek tsuhelfn dem tatn..."
|
"Because Mother has gone to help Father..."
|
References
|
|
