Tracks
Liner Notes
The tune of this charming children’s Hanukka song, Drey zikh, dreydele (Spin Yourself, Little Dreydl), comes from one of Abraham Goldfaden’s best-known operettas, Bar Kokhba. Since Goldfaden sometimes incorporated folksongs, melodic folk motifs, and motivic fragments into his operettas, we cannot know the actual origin of this tune. But the esteemed American Yiddishist and folklorist Chana Mlotek created her own Yiddish lyrics, rendering it in effect a new Hanukka song. It was once popular among Yiddishist milieux in America—especially at Yiddish schools and youth organizations. The English singing version was devised by William Zukof, who based it on a literal translation, and the present arrangement is by Elliot Z. Levine.
Lyrics
Sung in Yiddish and English
Words: Chana Mlotek/William Zukof
Spin yourself, spin yourself
Spin like a little dreydl
Be happy little boy
Be happy little girl
Dance in a little circle, dance in a little circle
It is Chanukkah time now
One, two, three
One, two, three
Dance in a little circle?
One, two, three
One, two, three
Little boy, little girl
One, two, three
One, two, three
Spin like a dreydl
It is Hanukka time now
Whirling and turning upon the table
Happy boy, happy girl, spin your dreydl
Dance in a circle now fast as you're able
Let's have some Hanukka fun
One, two, three
One, two, three
Dance in a circle
One, two, three
One, two, three
Little boy, little girl
One, two, three
One, two, three
Spin like a dreydl
Let's have some Hanukka fun!
Credits
Composer: Avrahom Goldfaden arranger: Elliot LevinePerformers: The Western Wind
Publisher: Transcontinental
