Tum balalaika – 48th Anniversary

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=He3efzCCwfA

When Ruth and I were dating many years ago we sang this song together. She had learned it in elementary school in Northern Alberta, Canada, and shared it with me from recall. That was forty-eight years ago today. I just discovered that it is a popular  Yiddish folk song that has been sung for many years in Romania and elsewhere. There seems to be several verses and translations of it into English. After we were engaged we often sang it together.  This is the version she taught to me. I sang the first verse. She sang the second verse. We sang the refrain together. We later recorded it on a record with The Opitmists, our college singing group. I don’t have a digital copy of that record to share with you.

Tum Balalaika

Maiden Maiden tell me true

What can grow without the dew

What can grow for years and years

What can cry yet shed no tears

Refrain:

Tumbala, Tumbala, Tumbalaliaka

Tumbala, Tumbala, Tumbalaliaka

Tumbala, Tumbala, Tumbalaliaka

 

Silly Lad I’ll tell you true

Love can grow without the dew

Love can grow for years and years

Love can cry yet shed no tears

Refrain:

Tumbala, Tumbala, Tumbalaliaka

Tumbala, Tumbala, Tumbalaliaka

Tumbala, Tumbala, Tumbalaliaka

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*The video at the beginning of the post has had over a million views!

*Here are two more versions you might enjoy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTBOMT5bMRs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6uBysoQkDw