Ikh bin a kleyner dreydl | I am a little dreidel | A Yiddish Hanukkah Song

Details

Description

The Yiddish version of the Dreidel Hanukkah song was written by Mikhl Gelbart (pen name Ben Arn). The melodies for the English and Yiddish dreidel songs are the same, and we do not know which version of the song came first.

Notable differences between the English and Yiddish dreidel songs:
1) Perspective of dreidel player (English) vs perspective of the dreidel (Yiddish)
2) Made of Clay (English) vs Blay - Lead (Yiddish)
3) Focused on winning a game of dreidel (English) vs Focused on the joy of spinning (Yiddish)

Lyrics:
איך בין אַ קלײנער דרײדל
געמאַכט בין איך פֿון בלײַ
קומט לאָמיר אַלע שפּילן
אין דרײדל ־ אײנס, צװײ, דרײַ

אױ, דרײדל, דרײדל, דרײדל
אױ, דרײ זיך, דרײדל, דרײ
טאָ לאָמיר אַלע שפּילן
אין דרײדל, אײנס און צװײ.

און איך האָב ליב צו טאַנצן
זיך דרײען אין אַ ראַד
קומט, לאָמיר אַלע טאַנצן
אַ דרײדל־קאַראַהאָד

אױ, דרײדל, דרײדל, דרײדל
אױ, דרײ זיך, דרײדל, דרײ
טאָ לאָמיר אַלע שפּילן
אין דרײדל, אײנס און צװײ.

Translation:
I am a little dreidel
I am made from lead,
Come let us all play
in a game of dreidel, 1, 2, 3.

Oy dreidel, dreidel, dreidel
Oy turn yourself around, dreidel, turn
So let us all play
a game of dreidel, 1 and 2.

And I love to dance
to turn myself in a circle,
Come let us all dance
A dreidel karahod (a lively circle dance).

Oy dreidel, dreidel, dreidel
Oy turn yourself around, dreidel, turn
So let us all play
a game of dreidel, 1 and 2.

To find me all over the internet: https://linktr.ee/c.o.bernstein