BY94- I left out a part:
“Yoh, ich bin an alter – Un s’tit mir vei di beiner,
Un Chotsh di burd iz lang un grois, ich hob a sach gezen ,
Gib aher a bissel bronfin, Vel ich zugen gitte eitzes
Veil ich zay in deine pleitzes , Vos iz bei dir geshen. ….
It’s a take on Kenny Roger’s The Gambler, where an old rabbi is giving advice on life instead of a gambler on a ride upstate. The younger person’s neshama lit up from the rabbi’s words & drew strength from them.
THE RABBI
On a warm summer’s evening
On a ride to Monticello
I sat next to a rabbi
We were both too tired to sleep
So we took turns staring
Out the window to the darkness
Till boredom overtook us
And he began to speak
He said,
“Yoh, ich bin an alter – Un s’tit mir vei di beiner,
Un Chotsh di burd iz lang un grois, ich hob a sach gezen ,
Gib aher a bissel bronfin, Vel ich zugen gitte eitzes
Veil ich zay in deine pleitzes , Vos iz bei dir geshen. ….
“So I handed him my bottle
And he drank down my last swallow
Then he mooched a cigarette
And asked me for a light
And the night got deathly quiet
And his face lost all expression..
He said,
“Ich gei dir yetzt zugin Dem yisod fun yidishkeit.
“M’darf vissen ven tsu koifen, Vissen ven tsu loifen ,
Vissen ven tsu dreien git, Un ven tsu handlen fein,
Besser red nisht vus m’darf nisht, Un gei nisht vi e m’tur nisht ,
Yo, s’iz git tsi furen, besser iz tsi bleiben in der heim.
“Yeder Chochem veist , Az a yid miz zein b’simcha ,
Danken borey oilam, Far alles vos men hut .
Inn halt di torah teier ; Veil dortin brent a feier!
Un gib a sach tzedukeh , Veil parnuseh kimt fin Got.
“And when he finished speaking
He turned back to the window
Said Borey Nefoshos ,
And faded off to sleep .
And somewhere in the darkness,
My soul, it started burning,
For in his final words ,
I found A strength that I could keep.
M’darf vissn ven tsu koifen – Vissn ven tsu loifen,
Vissn ven tsu dreien git , Un ven tsu handlen fein .
Besser red nisht vus m’darf nisht – Un gei nisht vie m’tur nisht,
Yo, s’iz git tsi furen, besser iz tsi bleibin in der heim.