TAIBELE AND HER DEMON
ARIA EXCERPT
Haynt? Vos Iz Haynt? (Today? What Day Is It Today?)
Haynt? Vos iz haynt? Gevalt in geshrign.
Mitvokh, donershtik, shabbes, fraytik?
Gotenyu, gotenyu. In di tzayt, di tzayt. Vos iz der tzayt?
Elef, tzvelef, halb nokh dray? Neyn, neyn, neyn, neyn, neyn.
S’miz nokh altz zayn free. Oy, ken es shoyn zayn shpet?
Vey iz mir! Vey iz mir! Vey iz mir!
Efsher ikh hob a toess. Efsher ikh bin mishigeh, mishigeh.
Efsher, efsher, efsher, Efsher dos in efsher yents.
Efsher haynt iz morgn. Efsher nekhtn haynt.
Vi iz mayn kop? Vi iz mayn kop? In drerd mit di ferd.
Riboynisheloylam. Riboynisheloylam.
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Helf mir, helf mir, tayere Got, tayere Got.
Oh neyn, neyn, neyn, neyn, neyn.
Eem, eem, eem, eem, eem. Nisht mir helf, eem. Helf eem. Eem helf.
Eem, eem, eem, eem, eem. Azoy krank iz ehr letzte vokh.
Ikh dermon zakh yetzt, ikh dermon zakh yetzt. Nebekh, nebekh, nebekh.
Zayn otem, azoy shvartz. Gekrekhert vi an altn zeg.
Arayn in aroys, arayn in aroys, Geribn in gerisn, geribn in gerisn.
In zayn noz, ven ess blozt, ess hut eem gefayft fin oyer!
Nebekh nebekh, nebekh. Ess hut im gefayft fin zayn oyer.
Nebekh, nebekh. Vey iz mir, vey iz mir, vey iz mir.
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Tayere Got, tayere Got, liebe Got,
A vort, a vort, a kleyne vort. A por verter.
Ikh veys az m’tor nisht, m’tor nisht mispalel zayn far shedim.
Ikh veys, ikh veys. Shedim, shedim.
Farkert, farkert. M’darf zey sheltn
in oysmeken, sheltn in oysmekn.
Ikh veys, ikh veys.
Ober Got, tayere Got, liebe Got, eer veyst dokh aleyn,
s’zenen do azoy fil shedim azoy fil shedim,
azoy fil shedim vos flien arim, do in dortn.
Vos shat ess? Vos shat ess, ess zol zayn mit eyn shed mer?
Eyn shed meyer, eyn shed meyer?
Gevalt in geshrign, gevalt in geshrign, nokh altz nisht do.
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Zayne verter, efsher, efsher, efsher mit zayne verter.
Efsher, efsher di verter veln im brengen aher.
Ikh veys az men tor nisht. Men tor es nisht,
Men tor nisht brengen far di lipn.
Ikh vel shprukhn, ikh gedenk nisht ober.
Ikh vel eppes sprukhn, eppes sprukhn:
“Kim Nisht-gutte, kim Nisht-gutte. Yo horeh, Yo boreh,
Yo dembene koreh, fefer in moyl, zalts in di oygn.
Kim veytsene teyglekh! Roys zoln mayne sonim di eyglekh.
Ibble bibble, hartz in shteyn.
Fun vanen s’iz gekumen, zol ess nisht geyn.
Ibble-bibble, ibble-bibble”
Gotenyu, Gotenyu hob rakhmones, hob rakhmones!
Gevalt in geshrign, gevalt in geshrign, gevalt in geshrign,
Nebekh, nebekh, nebekh. Gevalt in geshrign, tate mame, tate mame.
Nokh altz nisht do.
Today? What is today? Goodness gracious.
Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, Friday?
Dear God, dear God. And the time, the time. What is the time?
Eleven, twelve, half past three? No, no, no, no, no.
It must be still early. Oh, can it already be late?
Woe is me! Woe is me! Woe is me!
Maybe I have a mistake. Maybe I am crazy, crazy.
Maybe, maybe, maybe, Maybe this and maybe that.
Perhaps today is tomorrow. Perhaps yesterday is today.
Where is my head? Where is my head? In hell with the horses.
God in heaven. God in heaven.
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Help me, help me, dear God, dear God.
Oh, no, no, no, no.
Him, him, him, him, him. Not me help, him. Help him. Him help.
Him, him, him, him, him. He was so ill last week.
I remember now, I remember now. Pity, pity, pity.
His breath, so black, crackled like an old saw,
In and out, in and out. Scraping and scratching.
And his nose, when he blew it, it whistled from his ear!
Pity, pity, pity. His ear tooted like a horn.
Pity, pity. Woe is me, woe is me, woe is me.
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Dear God, dear God, beloved God,
A word, a word, a small word. A few words.
I know it is forbidden, forbidden to pray for demons
I know, I know. Demons, demons.
The opposite, the opposite. We must curse
and erase them, Curse and erase.
I know, I know.
But God, dear God, beloved God, You yourself know
that there are so many demons so many demons
so many demons that fly around, here and there.
What harm is it? What harm is there in one demon more?
One demon more, one demon more?
Horror and woe, horror and woe, he’s still not here.
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His words, maybe, maybe, maybe by using his words.
Maybe, maybe his own words will bring him here.
I know it’s forbidden. Forbidden,
Forbidden for these words to pass the lips.
I will recite a spell, but I don’t remember how.
I’ll recite some spell, some incantation:
“Come Evil, come Evil. Yes, Evil. Yes Shmevil.
Yes oak bark, pepper in your mouth, salt in your eyes!
Come buckwheat noodles! My enemies should lose their eyes.
Ibble bibble, heart and stone.
From wherever it came, it should not return.
Ibble bibble, Ibble bibble.”
God, God have pity, have pity!
Horror and woe, horror and woe, horror and woe,
Pity, pity, pity. Horror and woe, father mother, father mother.
Still not here.
