FAWM: "When it comes to mazel, I got bubkess"

When it comes to mazel, I got bubkess

2 weeks ago by @mikeskliar

Skirmish: Write a lyric with a fore... (@corinnecurcio)

When it comes to mazel, I got bubkess

mikeskliar

00:00

Liner Notes

#skirmish This was a skirmish in which you were asked to write something using a foreign language or phrase, and write and record in an hour. I spun my wheels for about the full length of the hour, and just in desperation (trying to think of something, anything) resorted to the only language other then English (and maybe Spanish) where I know at least a few phrases, which is the language of Yiddish. (My grandmother while quite fluent in English spoke it occassionally, my wife's parents grew up speaking it and it was their primary language, tho they both learned three or four other languages to some extent including English, Ukranian, Russian and some Hebrew (but I digress)

anyway, this uses at least half of my Yiddish vocabulary, and its kind of a corny idea, but here it is.

Playing an old cheap resonator guitar, tuned to DADGAD tuning, by the way.

#alternatetuning #yiddish

Lyrics

I don’t mean, to be a kvetch
But Im fablonged, faschimmiled and fatoosed
I’d make a scene, but what a mess
Everything I touch seems to turn to schmutz

When it comes to mazel, I got bubbkes
Gornished with gornished, that’s right bubbkes

That means beans, if you know what I mean
In other words, nothing with nothing
In any language, it’d be pathetic
But I can say it in Yiddish, at least that’s something

I don’t intend to hock you un chinek
I’m a mensch, not just some nudnick
May you only shep nacchus from your kinder
And have the zitzfleich to finally kvell

Comments

@sherrycanary 6d

That is my yiddish vocabulary too.
Fatoosed and schmutz is the rhythm of rhythms Really funny.
Don't know from zitzfleich ,but I'm kvelling just the same. 😉

@akeli 2w

Love your song - it starts off with a great guitar rhythm and sound (the magic of DADGAD and a lot plus), then the voice with just the right amount of matching reverb. Words just loosely appearing and making their impact mostly by how you sing them. Then a chorus that appears very laid back with a hookline but without too much emphasis on a catchy melody. And then "Bubbkes! The word of the day" - emphasising the chorus in a subtle manner :-)

@jonmeta 2w

It's wonderful to have at least some facility in a second or third language. Just don't let ICE hear you speaking it. So bubbkes means 'beans' -- nice to finally learn that.

@jwhanberry 2w

I like how you solved your skirmish problem by drawing from your life and family. It makes for a genuine song. Good work. (Insert Yiddish translation here!)

@stephenwordsmith 2w

My knowledge of Yiddish extends only as far as having watched every episode of The Nanny, so this was a joyful little linguistic lesson.

I love the way the language sounds; I suppose it's a symptom of not understanding the words that the consonance leaps out - and your pleasure and enthusiasm shines through in the delivery. Fun song.

@metalfoot 2w

So fun. Lean into that heritage and let it roll! Both my sets of grandparents spoke only English around us grandkids so I never learned any other language at home.

@huskee_poketto 2w

So funny 🤣 love it!

@daveescoffery 2w

I love the minor key sound here. As the kids would put it, it's giving me R.E.M. Well done using your entire Yiddish vocab, too!

@ltunes 2w

This is so fantastic. Love that you went with Yiddish - it is indeed something! The rhymes are fantastic. The driving guitar strum is super cool. Way to score on a tough skirmish. Bubbkes is the WORD OF THE DAY!