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                                                                                        Ikh Hob Dikh Tsi Fil Lib    
                                                            
Music: Olshanetsky, Alexander(1892–1946) Lyrics: Tauber, Chaim Shmuel  
                                                                                       Singers The Barry Sisters

Picture
 Alexander Olshanetsky was born in Odessa,Ukraine, which was then a part of Imperial Russia, of Jewish descent. At the age of 6, Olshanetsky began studying the violin. Olshanetsky emigrated to the United States in 1922. He was a major figure within the Yiddish theatre scene in New York City from the mid-1920s until his death in 1946.
 Chaim Tauber was born on June 14, 1901 in Molive (Mogilev-Podolia, now  Belorussia).  He immigrated to America in 1928.
In 1933 Tauber started  with  the New York Avenue Theatre second premiere of the operetta by A. Olshanetsky, "Der Katerinschik." 
  For the next 2 years the career of Tauber was very successful. Chaim Tauber wrote songs for musical  comedies. Julius Nathanson and Luba Kadison  played the main parts. Nathanson,  became the first  performer of the most popular of the songs written by Chaim Tauber  "Ich hob dich tsufil  lib".
 American blues singer Alberta Hunter (April 1, 1895 – October 17, 1984) had performed this song as well.

Yiddish
Kh’bin atzind aleyn geblibn
mit mayn benkshaft, mit mayn  vey.
Kh’hob di kortn opgeklibn
un ikh zukh mayn glik in  zey.
Er hot mikh farbitn oyf a tsveyter,
mayn groyse libe ken er nit  farshteyn.
Mit yener tsu der khupe geyt er,
un ikh blayb elnd un  aleyn.
Nu ver zshey darf di kortn hobn,
umzist hob ikh gevart,  gegart,
Mayn yugnt iz dokh shoyn bagrobn,
mayn mazl hot mikh opgenart.
 
CHORUS
Ikh hob dikh tsufil lib.
ikh trog oyf dir kayn has.
Ikh  hob dikh tsufil lib
tsu zayn oyf dir in kaas. 
Ikh hob dikh tsufil lib
tsu zayn oyf dir gor beyz,
A nar ikh  heys,
ikh veys. ikh hob dikh lib. 

Kh’hob dir mayn lebn avekgegebn,
mayn harts un mayn neshome,
ikh  bin krank, nor mayn gedank
trakht nit fun nekome. 
Ikh hob dikh tsufil lib
tsu zayn oyf dir gor beyz,
A nar ikh  heys,
ikh veys. ikh hob dikh lib.

English
Now I am left alone
with my longings, with my pain.
I have picked the  cards,
and I seek my good fortune in them. 
He has replaced me with another.
He can’t understand my great love.
He’s going off to marry the other,
while I remain forlorn and  alone.

So who needs these cards?
For naught have I waited,  yearned.

My youth is already buried.
Fortune has made a fool of  me. 
I love you too much.
I don’t bear any hatred for you.
I love you  too much
To be angry at you. 
I love you too much
To be at all angry with you.

They say I’m a  fool,
I know. I love you. 
I gave my life away to you,
My heart and my soul.
I am sick, but my  thoughts
Turn not to revenge 
I love you too much
To be at all angry with you.
They say I’m a  fool,
I know. I love you.