American Old Time Song Lyrics: 26 Shacobs Lament

Theater, Music-Hall, Nostalgic, Irish & Historic Old Songs, Volume 26

SHACOB'S LAMENT.

Oxcoose me if I shed some tears,
Und wipe my nose avay;
Und if a lump was in my troat,
It comes up dere to shtay.

My sadness I shall now unfoldt,
Und if dot tale of woe
Don'd do some Dutchmans any good,
Den I don't pelief I know.

You see, I fall myself in love,
Und effery night I goes
Across to Brooklyn by dot pridge,
All dressed in Sunday clothes.

A vidder vomans vos der brize,
Her husband he vos dead;
Und all alone in this cold vorldt.
Dot vidder vos, she said.

Her heart for love vos on der pine,
Und dot I like to see;
Und all der time I hoped dot heart
Vos on der pine for me.

I keeps a butcher shop, you know,
Und in a shtocking stout
I put avay my gold and bills,
Und no one gets him oudt.

If in der night some bank cashier
Goes skipping off mit cash,
I sleep so sound as nefer vos,
Vhile rich folks go to schmash.

I court dot vidder sixteen months,
Dot vidder she courts me,
Und vhen I say: "Vill you be mine?"
She says: "You bet I'll be!"

Ve vos engaged-oh! blessed fact!
I squeeze dot dimpled hand;
Her head upon my shoulder lays,
Shust like a bag of sand.

"Before der vedding day was set,"
She vispers in mine ear,
"I like to say I haf to use
Some cash, my Jacob, dear.

"I owns dis house and two big farms,
Und ponds and railroad shtock;
Und up in Yonkers I bossess
A grand big peesness block.

"Der times vos dull, my butcher boy,
Der market vos no good,
Und if I sell "-I squeezed her handt
To show I understood.

Next day-oxcoose my briny tears-
Dot shtocking took a shrink;
I counted out twelf hundred in
Der cleanest kind o "chink.

Und later, by two days or more,
Dot vidder shtopes avay;
Und leaves a note behindt for me,
In vich dot vidder say:

Dear Shake:
"Der rose vos redt,
Der violet blue-
You see I've left,
Und you're left, too!"