(I recommend listening to this as you read)

Over the last few weeks, whenever I started working on my family story project, I find myself taken back to a yiddish song my grandmother, Chana, used to sing with us…and all my grandparent’s knew: “Oifn Pripetshik” (also: oifen pripitchik, oyfn pripitchik). If you pressed on the first link you are listening to it to. Here is the link again in case you want to listen now.

I’m not clear if it’s a lullaby, but it’s certainly something that parents and grandparents would have sung with their children.

It’s a strange song to have running around your head. Not in the least because it’s in Yiddish. (A deceptively simple language which sounds like a poorman’s german, has it’s own sense of humour, a ton of literature and is written in the Hebrew/Aramaic script.)

What catches me, in addition to the tune and the singing, is that it really seems to transport me somewhere else. To another time, that really wasn’t so long ago. But is so completely different from the life I lead. Shtetl Europe.

And there are also a few words inside, about the alphabet*, that makes me sit up. Be still. And listen.

Az ir vet, kinder, elter vern,      When, children, you grow older,
Vet ir aleyn farshteyn,               You will understand it all
Vifl in di oysyes lign trern,        How many tears lie with in (these letters)
Un vi fil geveyn.                        And how much pain.

Chorus: Zet zhe, kinderlekh, …  Listen carefully, …

Az ir vet, kinder,dem goles shlepn,  And when, children, you grow weary, And burdened with exile,
Oysgemutshet zayn,                        Their burden you will bear
Zolt ir fun di oysyes koyekh shepn,  Be inspired/Find comfort in these little letters,
Kukt in zey arayn!                            Their message for all to share.

The idea that an alphabet can inspire, comfort and contain history, a past, stories, within them… I am always amazed at what the simple songs have inside of them: lessons, insights…something ‘true’.

This week the tune has joined another, equally odd. Not only have I wanted to listen to Oifn Pripeshik again and again, but last night, before bed, I was taken back to another Nursery rhyme that I sung as a child:

“Row row row your boat

Gently down the stream

Merrily merrily merrily merrily

Life is but a dream”

I went to bed with that in my head, laughing…(If you haven’t heard it in a while I recommend revisiting this version, Seasame St Class: Snuffy begins his rendition at 7:45mins…)

This morning I had a flash that this seemingly meaningless harmless ditty was accidentally overhead by someone passing by some ‘magical’ creature. In a similar way to how the alphabet may have slipped down to earth…to man.

Row, row,…has to be one of the simplest ways to frame advice about living your life. Don’t control, but don’t do nothing…go with the flows of your time…gently – don’t push, happily (you get the choose your attitude…)… On the last part. Don’t be deceived. I just read a line in Urban Shaman about how for the Shaman, reality is a dream. ie Dreams are very very real. And something to work with.^

And with that, I wish a magical merry day, nay week, to you all.

Notes & Sources:

Ok so I KNOW this is a strange combination of music but…that’s where my head is at, at the moment.

Image 1 source: via The Forward

Image 2 source

*I am fascinated by the concepts of alphabets and their power – runes, letters, words…spells etc. And also with the powers of melody. I’ve often wondered what came before Voice – melody and dance seem to be the likely response…

- Oyfn Pripitchik lyrics-trasnlation via Jewish Folk Songs

^ A quick check shows me that I am not alone and that the link between the book and Row Row… is via my  amazing friend, Paul. But I had to get there via Wikipedia reference list. Always nice to come back to something important.

Tags: oifen pripitchik, row row row your boat, the family forest

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 22nd, 2009 at 11:38 pm and is filed under art, knowledge & wisdom, musings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.