Yisrolik Исролик Jewish Songs. For All Russian text: Olga Anikina Project producer: Walter J. Kin https://jewishhit.com/create/yisrolik/ ABOUT THIS WORKING TEXT All 20 written lines from the cited Russian text. This does not add further performance repetitions. English explains meaning; it is not a singable lyric. STORY A boy sells cigarettes and saccharin in the ghetto. His proud jokes and denials barely conceal his loneliness. The recording credits original Yiddish words to Leyb Rosenthal, music to Misha Veksler in the Vilna Ghetto, and Russian adaptation to Olga Anikina (2017). RUSSIAN / LITERAL ENGLISH 1. Купите папиросы отдам почти за так Buy my cigarettes, I will let them go for almost nothing 2. И сахарин я б тоже вам продал And saccharin, I would sell you that as well 3. Тут жизнь идёт за грошик а если за пятак Here life goes for a tiny coin; and if it is a five-unit coin 4. Для гетто это целый капитал For the ghetto that is a whole fortune 5. Я Исролик я вырос в нашем гетто I am Yisrolik; I grew up in our ghetto 6. Пусть я мал но привык не быть в долгу I may be small, but I am used to owing nothing 7. Ничего за душою нету I have nothing at all to my name 8. Зато я петь умею и свистеть могу But I know how to sing, and I can whistle 9. Штаны из мешковины пальто моё с дырой My trousers are sackcloth, my coat has a hole 10. Калоши есть но нету башмаков I have galoshes, but no shoes 11. Но если кто посмеет смеяться надо мной But if anyone dares to laugh at me 12. Я покажу ему кто я таков I will show him who I am 13. Я вовсе не бездомный есть мама у меня I am not homeless at all, I have a mother 14. И папа есть он звал меня «сынок» And I have a father; he used to call me 'son' 15. И я совсем не плачу ведь я не размазня And I am not crying at all; I am no weakling 16. А ветер он ведь тоже одинок And the wind, you know, is lonely too 17. Я Исролик вам видно показалось I am Yisrolik; you must have imagined it 18. Я не плачу заплачешь и пропал I am not crying; once you start crying, you are lost 19. То что в горе не поможет жалость That pity is no help in grief 20. Знает даже тот кто очень мал Even the very smallest one knows IDIOMS AND MEANING Папиросы / сахарин Literal: Cigarettes / saccharin. These are the small goods the boy offers for sale. Saccharin is a sugar substitute, not another kind of tobacco. За грошик / за пятак Literal: For a tiny coin / for a five-unit coin. The diminutive and coin contrast emphasize how little money buys survival, and how much a slightly larger amount means. Do not imply a verified modern exchange rate. Ничего за душою нету Literal: There is nothing behind my soul. An idiom meaning he owns nothing or has nothing to his name. It does not mean he lacks a soul, conscience or emotional depth. Я не размазня Literal: I am no weakling. The boy insists that he is tough enough to cope. The line is bravado, not a reason for the listener to deny his suffering. Вам видно показалось / Я не плачу Literal: You must have imagined it. I am not crying. He tries to explain away the tears someone has noticed. Keep the denial and the pain beneath it, without adding an explicit stage direction to the lyric. И папа есть он звал меня «сынок» Literal: And I have a father; he used to call me 'son.' The shift from 'have' to 'used to call' matters. Preserve it without deciding, beyond the words, exactly what has happened to his father. YOUR BRIEF Keep the boy's quick, proud voice rather than making him merely an object of pity. His claims about family and tears reveal vulnerability. Do not resolve those denials into a cheerful ending. Verify permissions for the source work, Russian adaptation and recording. SOURCES RIGLI Russian recording: Yisrolik https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv5R7mIMUz0 Share only a public-page link for review: https://jewishhit.com/create/#submit Review is not acceptance, a payment promise or a rights transfer. Work-for-hire terms and permissions are agreed separately. OUR SOURCE AND APPROACH Olga Anikina’s Russian texts can substantially reimagine earlier Yiddish, Hebrew, Polish or other sources while preserving their spirit and central idea. Adapt her Russian text, not the earlier original anew. Stay close to her images, word meanings, expressions and structure; make the English sing without replacing her story. The producer confirms exclusive rights to these Russian lyrics; underlying music and recording rights are separate. TAKE PART IN YOUR OWN WAY Write, sing, produce, collaborate, or combine roles. Video or audio-only recordings are welcome: solo, duet, band, choir or another ensemble; live, with collaborators, Suno or other permitted tools. Clear song, backing-track and tool permissions before publishing. Recording links must be YouTube, Spotify or YouTube Music only; no other platforms or files. Lyric-only submissions still use your own public webpage. 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