Der Bekher text and music Mark Warshawski
note: verses in italics are not included on Lider Fun Amol
1) Tayere Malke Dearest Malke
Gezunt zolstu zayn! May you be healthy
Gis on in bekher, Pour into my wine cup,
In bekher dem vayn Into my wine cup, the wine
Bim bom, bom bim bom…
2) Fun dem dozikn bekher From this very wine cup
Er glantst azoy sheyn It shines so beautifully
Hot getrunken mayn zeyde, My grandfather drank
Mayn zeyde aleyn My grandfather himself
3) Geven shlekhte tsaytn There have been bad times
Vi s’makht zikh a mol Now and then
Nor dem bekher hot er gehaltn But he kept the wine cup
Ayzn un shtol “Iron and steel”
[Come hell or high water]
4) Er hot mesameakh geven di kinder He rejoiced with his children
Bakent iz dos dir As you well know
Funem tatn iz der bekher From my father, the wine cup
Gekumen tsu mir Came to me
5) Tayere Malke Dearest Malke
Gezunt zolstu zayn! May you be healthy
Far vemen zol ikh trinken To whom should I drink
Dem dozikn vayn? This wine?
6) Lekhayim vil ikh trinken I will drink “To life!”
Far dem pintele yid To the spark within every Jew
Vos mutshet zikh tomid That always has courage
Un vert keyn mol mid And never becomes tired
7) Lekhayim vil ikh trinken I will drink “To life!”
Un take on an ek Really, without an end
Far di vos zaynen geforn For those who are gone
Oyf eybik avek Eternally gone away
8) Ikh volt trinken far mayne sonim I will drink to my enemies
Nor zog zey nit oys! We shouldn’t speak of them!
Kuk, trern shpritsn fun bekher, Look, tears splash from the cup
Fun bekher aroys Out of the cup
9) Zingt hekher un hekher Sing louder and louder
Got, Du bist groys “God, You are great”
Bahalt, Malke, dem bekher Take the cup, Malke
Dos lidl iz oys! The little song is done!