Avraimi Der Marvicher - Avreml the Pickpocket
                                                                        Music  and Lyrics -Mordechai Gebirtig (1877-1942)
                                                                                                 Singer Chava Alberstein 

      
  Mordecai Gebirtig was born in Poland, Krakow. He lived his whole  life among the Jewish working-class quarter. On June 4,1942,  his 
life  ended prematurely by a Nazi bullet in the Krakow Ghetto during the infamous “ Bloody Thursday”.
He was a very distinguished folk” artist in Yiddish literature and music.Mordecai served for five years in the Austro-Hungarian army. He never studied music. He enjoyed playing a shepherd’s pipe , and played piano with one finger. Gebrich was employed as a furniture  worker .Music and theater were his hobbies.Mordecai had three daughters, for whom he wrote and performed his poems.His diary entries resemble most of his songs. The words in the poems were set to improvised  melodies. His lyrics  describe  the themes of eastern European Jewish life in the 1920s and 1930s .The song  "Avreml the Pickpocket" addressed two social issues, crime and the collapse of family life, which tells  us that both find their roots in need and poverty.
The singer Chava Alberstein was born in Szczecin Poland. Mrs Alberstein is very popular in Israel and known as a singer, composer and musical arranger. She released more than 60 Albums. Chava has recorded  in Hebrew, English and Yiddish.

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Yiddish
On a heim bin ich jung gebliben 
s'hot di nojt mich arojs getriben
wen ich hob noch keyn dreizen jor  gehat
in der fremd, wajt fun mames ojgen
hot in schmutz mich di gas dertzojgen
gevorn is fun mir a vojler jat. 

Ich bin Avrejml der feikster marvicher 
a grojser kinstler, ich arbet lajcht un sicher
dos erschte mol, ch'vel's gedenken bisn tojt
arajn in tfise far lakchenen a brojt, oj, oj
ch'for nischt ojf markn, wi jene proste jatn
ch'tsip nor baj karge schmutsike magnatn
ch'bin sich mechaje ven ch'tap asa magnat
ich bin Avrejml, gur a vojler jat. 

In der fremd, nischt gehat zum lebn
gebetn brojt, an ormer flegt noch gebn 
nor jene lajt wos senen tomid sat
flegn oft trajbn mich mit zorn 
s'vakst a ganev, s'is mekujem geworn
a ganev bin ich, nor a vojler jat. 
 
Ich bin Avrejml der feikster marvicher 
a grojser kinstler, ich arbet lajcht un sicher
dos erschte mol, ch'vel's gedenken bisn tojt
arajn in tfise far lakchenen a brojt, oj, oj
ch'for  nischt ojf markn, wi jene proste jatn
ch'tsip nor baj karge schmutsike magnatn
ch'bin sich mechaje ven ch'tap asa magnat
ich bin Avrejml, gur a  vojler jat. 
  
shojn nisht lang vet dos shpil gedojern
krank fun klep, gicht fun tfise mojern
nor ejn bakoshe, ch'volt azoj gevolt
noch majn tojt in a tog a  tribn
zol ojf majn matsejve shtejn geshribn
mit ojsjes grojse un fun gold: 

 Do ligt Avrejml der feikster  marvicher
a mentsch a grojser gewen wolt fun im sicher
a mentsch a fajner mit hartz, mit a gefil
a mentsch a rejner wi got alejn nor wil, oj, oj
wen iber im wolt gewacht a mames ojgn
wen s'wolt di fintstere gas im  nischt dertzojgn
wen noch als kind er a tatn wolt gehat
do ligt awrejml, jener vojler iat.

English
When I was Young I lost my home
One night I got througn out
When I was thirteen years old
Out of my mother eyes
In my soil dress I went to the street
I'm become a free lad.

I was Avreml the best pickpocket
A big thief, with easy work
The first job I will remember till my death
Walked in with my feet
I could not do like other simple boys
I was taking from the soil magnate
I had so big enjoyment when I swipe like this magnate
I was Avreml not so a free lad

Meanwhile I could not  support myself
Ask for bred, poor nobody would  give

Everybody drove me away like the bags
Look, a thief growing, what happened to him
Yes, I'm a thief but not a free lad.

I was Avreml the best pickpocket
A big thief, with looking for easy life.
The first job I will remember till my death
Walked  in with my feet
I could not do like other simple boys
I  was taking from the soil magnate
I had so big enjoyment when I swipe like this magnate
I was Avreml not a free lad

But this play was not had been very long
I had been beaten to death and ???

After my death to put me in the tog
Let on my monument to write
With a large letters from gold:

Hear buried Avreml the best pickpocket
A big mench
A mench with a good heart, and with the feeling
A meanch clean how the GOD alone would will. Oy-Oy
This would make mother's eye's open
When the dark street would light up
And this child didn't have a father
Hear buried Avreml another  free lad.