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Hudl mitn shtrudl 2:55
 

Liner Notes

Hudl mitn shtrudl (Hudl with Her Strudel) is a paradigmatically raffish document of a side of Yiddish vaudeville humor that cannot be dismissed in any candid consideration of the sociocultural totality of the immigrant experience. Its boisterous delivery, the common character of its tune, and its suggestive lyrics with their thinly veiled double entendres admittedly evoke the cruder moments of the vaudeville and music hall stage. No less distinguished an actor and singer than Aaron Lebedeff recorded the song in 1945 for Banner Records, a firm that specialized in popular Jewish songs, band tunes, Yiddish comedy, and even cantorial renditions. Because of Lebedeff’s fame, the song was often assumed to have been written by him. But the veteran Second Avenue and Yiddish radio actor and singer Seymour Rechtzeit (1912–2002), a founder and proprietor of Banner Records, remembered attending that recording session, and he could recall—albeit fifty-five years later—only that the song was written by “a guy named King.” Possibly he was referring to Adolf King, who is credited with such gently inelegant songs in the 1920s as Oy, iz dos a rebetsn (Wow, What a Rabbi’s Wife!).

By: Neil W. Levin

 

Lyrics

“Oh Hudl, Hudl, Hudl,
What’s up with your strudel?
It’s delicious; I really love it.
I don’t need any meat or stew,
for I’ve had enough of them.
Oh Hudl, Hudl, serve the strudel.
Serve it.”

I have a landsman named Dudl,
who has a wife named Hudl,
and Hudl-Dudl live together really well.
And Dudl’s pretty wife Hudl
bakes an outstanding strudel.
What a great pleasure as it melts in your mouth.
Every Friday, when Dudl has a bit of time,
he comes home to his wife and he shouts:

“Oh Hudl, Hudl, Hudl …”

My landsman Dudl has a boarder,
who’s in love with his Hudl,
for she cooks him a very good supper.
And the boarder, as should be,
delights in the supper,
and he truly devours Hudl with his eyes.
And when this Hudl serves the tea,
he smiles and says to her:

“Oh Hudl, Hudl, Hudl,
bring your strudel to the table.
It’s delicious; I love it so much.
It’s quite a delicacy,
as it goes down so smoothly.
Oh Hudl, Hudl, Hudl, give the strudel,
give it already!”

“oy, hudl hudl, hudl,
vos her zikh mitn shtrudl?
es iz geshmak, ikh hob es zeyer lib.
ikh darf keyn fleysh, keyn tsimes,
vayl ales iz mir nimes.
oy, hudl, hudl gib dem shtrudl,
gib!”

ikh hob a landsman, heyst er dudl.
hot er a vaybl heyst zi hudl,
un hudl dudl lebn zikh gants voyl.
un zayn sheyne vaybl, hudl,
bakt dokh oysgtseykhnt shtrudl.
a mekhaye mamesh az tzugeyt es aykh in moyl.
yeder fraytik, ven dudl hot nor tsayt,
kumt er aheym tsum vaybl un er shray

"oy, hudl hudl, hudl…"

a "boarder" hot mayn landsman dudl,
iz er farlibt gor in zayn hudl,
vayl zi kokht im "supper" zeyer fayn.
un der "boarder," vi geshikt zikh,
mit der supper er derkvikt zikh,
un er shlingt dokh hudln mamesh mit di oygn arayn.
un ven di hudl brengt tsum tish dem tey
shmeykhlt er un zogt tsu ir azoy:

“oy, hudl hudl, hudl,
tsum tish gib dayne shtrudl.
es iz geshmak, ikh hob es zeyer lib.
gvald, ikh hob es lib,
es iz dokh gut a maykhl
vayl es tzugeyt in baykhl.
oy, hudl, hudl, gib dem shtrudl, gib
gib shoyn!”


 

Credits

Composer: Anonymous
Length: 2:55
Genre: Yiddish Theater

Performers: Bruce Adler, Tenor;  Barcelona Symphony-National Orchestra of CataloniaElli Jaffe, Conductor;  David Krakauer, Clarinet

Date Recorded: 06/15/2001
Venue: Sala Sinfonica del Auditori (A), Barcelona, Spain
Engineer: Hughes, Campbell
Assistant Engineer: Kornacher, Bertram
Assistant Engineer: Weir, Simon
Project Manager: Schwendener, Paul

Additional Credits:

Arrangers: Jon Kull with Zalmen Mlotek
Orchestrator: Jon Kull
Yiddish Translations/Transliterations: Eliyahu Mishulovin & Adam J. Levitin
Arrangement © Milken Family Foundation

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