Vander Ikh Mir Lustik

Vander ikh mir lustik
In regn in dem feld
Zing ikh mir a freylakhs
Fayf ikh oyf der velt

Hob ikh shpekulirn
In mir amol farvelt
Gey ikh mir oyf Wall Street
Un leyg arayn mayn gelt

Shtaygn ale akties
Ale hobn glik
Mayne ober zinken
Ikh krig a fayf tsurik

Nem ikh in a rende
Mir a vasermil
Efsher vet got helfn
Trakht ikh in der shtil

Plitsling kumt a mobl
Shturemt vild un shver
Platsn mayne dombes
Molt mayn mil nisht mer

Hob a shtikl erd mir
Mit a ki gekoyft
Past es nisht mayn vaybl
Nemt zi un entloyft

Falt es mayn baheyme
In dafun a shrek
Nemt zi un zi legt zikh
Un peygert mir avek

Hob ikh shoyn keyn gelt nit
Keyn vayb un nit keyn ki
Lozt mikh mayn shlimazl
Itster shoyn tsurik

Vander ikh mir lustik
In regn in dem feld
Zing ikh mir a freylakhs
Fayf ikh oyf der velt

* * *

Through the fields I’m strolling
Full of fun and mirth
Happily I’m whistling:
Not a care on earth!

Then the notion strikes me
In stocks to speculate,
My money’s now in Wall Street
I sit back and wait.

Other stocks are rising,
My friends have all the luck,
Mine go down and under:
I lost every buck.

Comes a storm a-raging,
My dams are blown away,
Now the mill ain’t grinding,
I find to my dismay.

Bought some land and cattle
Only yesterday,
Wifey didn’t like it,
So she ran away.

Heifer took a tumble.
Upset and mortified,
She struggled to her feet and then
Lay right down and died.

Now I have no money, 
No mill, no cow, no wife,
My hard luck has left me:
I’m enjoying life.