About 35 years ago I belonged to a group, "Westwind", that performed
international folk material. Its leader was Polish-American Mike
Janusz, then a grad student in UCLA's Slavic Languages Department. I
can't remember the last couple of lines to this song, which has become
bittersweet to me now as I age.

Here's the full English translation, and what I remember of the
original. I want to find out the last missing Polish lines. Also, if
I'd made errors, please correct them. (And if you find Mike, tell him
hello from The First Ladarke Maiden.)
 
"Where are My Young Years?"

(Verse 1)
Where are my young years? / Where are my times?
I have spent my young years / As men spend in playing cards.

(Verse 2) 
And as men spend in cards / So men spend in money.
I have spent my young years / And also my beautiful world.

(Verse 3)
Brothers, bring out the horses / The black horses.
Let us run after our lost years / ??????????

"Vy Zenen Meine Yinge Yoren?"

(Verse 1)
Vy zenen meine yinge yoren? / Vy zenen meine zeiten?
Ich hob forshpilt meine yinge yoren / Azoy vi men spilt im korten.

(Verse 2)
Unt azoy vi men im korten shpillen / Shpilt men doch im gelt.
Ich hob forshpilt meine yinge yorne / Unt azoy meine shoene velt.

(Verse 3)
Zapri haite, brati, konyi / Konyi voroni.
???????????????? / ??????????????

---

Request for Question Clarification by tehuti-ga on 13 Jul 2002 06:46 PDT

Hello Evergreen,

I cannot supply the words to you as such, but I have found various
ways in which you could possibly get to them.  Therefore, I’m putting
this information in as a clarification, because I am not sure whether
you would find it acceptable as an answer.  If you do think it is
satisfactory, then I can insert it again as a proper answer and thus
close the query.

On the Yiddish Song Database of the Robert and Molly Freedman Archive
of Jewish Music at the University of Pennsylvania Library
(http://www.library.upenn.edu/friends/freed/freed1.html) I found a
reference (no. B-007(n))  to:

Vu zene mayne yunge yorn, vu zenen mayne tsaytn,
On the LP (1956) An Actors Holiday by Theodore Bikel
Elektra EKL 105

Another section of this database record slightly extends the line
about the horses:
Zapri hayte, brati koni, koni voroni, doho naymo nashi...

The page also gives a contact email for the Freedmans:
yidsong@pobox.upenn.edu  They should be able to provide the words for
you from this item in their collection.

Looking for a copy of Actors Holiday for purchase, I found the
following:

Listed for $12 at Last Vestige, Albany NY info@lastvestige.com  tel:
518-432-7736  http://www.lastvestige.com/vinyl/folk.htm

Two copies available through Amazon Z Shops, at $20 and $33
http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/search-handle-form/102-0435536-7092905

On auction at Ebay until Jul-16-02 17:55:20 PDT.  Buy it now $30 or
first bid $24.99
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=892977589

Available to purchase at Cocodrilo Records Madrid for 1.68 euros (near
bottom of page at http://www.cocodrilo-records.com/usados12.htm)  The
contact for this store is cocodrilor@cocodrilo-records.com  The web
site is all in Spanish.  The web site was last modified on May 30,
2002.

Available for auction at
http://www.hotplatters.com/lp/Persona/PERS2A-L.html
“"HOT PLATTERS" is a year round auction of music related items:
(records, books, tapes, memorabilia, and more) !!! We receive bids
from online visitors as well as from our printed catalogs, classified
ads in music publications (Goldmine, Discoveries, etc.), Ebay, record
shows, and dealers worldwide.  Winning bidders are usually notified
within 3-5 days. Although Hot Platters attempts to update online
listings as often as possible, all items are subject to prior sale.”

And for auction at California Albums:
http://www.eshoppinglink.com/music/calalbums/mofk.htm


CDBBQ at http://www.cdbbq.com/web_store.cgi?cart_id=3848338.19294 can
obtain the LP and can convert it to CD for you.
“Search our selection of LPs. These are compiled from a list of
reputable online record dealers. The lists are regularly updated to
help ensure their availability. When we receive your order, we'll
procure the record from the dealer. We'll start the CD conversion
process as soon as we receive the record. If the color cover is
ordered, we'll scan the front and back record cover and print CD jewel
case inserts. Then the CD & LP will be shipped together.”   Possibly
the LP will include the lyrics?

If you search for Bikel, Theodore on this site, you will obtain a
listing which includes Actors Holiday.  The last one on the list
(priced at $ 47.95) mentions that a booklet is included.

I have not been able to find any further references to the words of
this song.

---

Clarification of Question by evergreen-ga on 13 Jul 2002 20:27 PDT

tehuti, your information is spot-on and exactly what I need. That is
indeed the song, and I now remember that I at one time also had that
very same Theordore Bikel record.

Thanks also to commenter justaskscott, who also turned up the Bikel
album and Freedman references. Also your English translation is more
accurate than mine from memory. But the "Fishelech Koyfn" ("buying
little fishes?") is, I think, a red herring!

I especially appreciate, on top of the Freedman reference, the links
to actually buying and transcribing the original album.

Wow! What a wonderful resource Google Answers is! And what a blessing
are you astute researchers and commenters! Thank you so very much.
This is one of those important-to-me questions that I'd always thought
would never be answered -- but you've done it! FEEL GOOD, y'all!!!

I tried and failed to find the lyrics you're looking for.  But I did
find some more information.

I don't know how the title is actually listed on Theodore Bikel's
album, but I believe that the most accurate spelling would be "Vu
Zaynen Mayne Yunge Yorn".  If you look for "vu zenen" on the following
page of the Freedman Archive, you'll see that "vu zaynen" is the more
common variant:

http://digital.library.upenn.edu/webbin/freedman/browseworks?hr=&bb=l&at=24666&nl=50

("Zaynen", I believe, is pronounced like a version of the German
"sein", and "mayne" like the German "meine".  As with the German
words, these Yiddish words should be spelled with the same vowels.)

Also, I think that the most accurate translation is "Where is My
Youth".  If you search on the Internet for "yunge yorn", you'll find
references to "youth" or ("Jugend" in German).

I've found a song with similar lyrics.  It is called "Fishelech Koyfn"
(or "Fishlekyh Koifn", or something like that -- it can be tricky to
search for Yiddish words in their English transliterations):

http://www.tanjasolnik.com/lyrics102.htm 

http://campuscgi.princeton.edu/~klez/zemerl/show.pl?title=Fishelech+Koyfn

I meant to say "Fishelekh Koifn" as a variant spelling of "Fishelech
Koyfn".  But you never know, perhaps a similar erroneous misspelling
of the Yiddish words will retrieve the information you want!