YIVO Online Exhibitions

Vot Ken Yu Makh? S’iz Amerike (What Can You Do? It's America!)

Title

Vot Ken Yu Makh? S’iz Amerike (What Can You Do? It's America!)

Date

March 6, 1929

Subject

Yiddish Theater Music
Immigrants, American Jewish

Description

Hit song from the Yiddish musical Der litvisher yankee (The Litvak Yankee) marveling about how different life is in America:

In Europe, young women get married
And afterwards they have children as is properly done
In America, it's completely different, it's all about saving time
Here they get married later but have the children beforehand.

What can you do? It's America!
It's America, what can you do?

Here, people are trying to save expenses
So they have the wedding together with the bris!

Aaron Lebedeff with orchestra directed by Alexander Olshanetsky
Vocalion 67140 mx. 29396; Recorded in NY . From Der Litvisher Yankee (Jacob Jacobs-Alexander Olshanetsky)

Creator

Aaron Lebedeff
Alexander Olshanetsky

Source

Max and Frieda Weinstein Archive of YIVO Sound Recordings

Publisher

YIVO Institute for Jewish Research

Format

MP3

Language

Yiddish

Type

Vinyl Recording

Identifier

YIVO Sound Recordings - 5

Rights

YIVO owns the compilation of content that is posted on this website, which consists of text, images, and/or audio, and video. However, YIVO does not necessarily own each component of the compilation. Some content is in the public domain and some content is protected by third party rights. It is the user's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in YIVO websites.

The materials on this web site may be used for personal, research and educational purposes only. Publication (including posting on the Internet and online exhibitions) or any other use without prior authorization is prohibited. Please visit https://www.yivo.org/Rights-Reproductions for more information about use of materials from this website.

YIVO has employed due diligence in seeking to identify copyright holders of the materials in this compilation. We invite any copyright owners who are not properly identified to contact us at yivomail@yivo.cjh.org.

Citation

Aaron Lebedeff and Alexander Olshanetsky, “Vot Ken Yu Makh? S’iz Amerike (What Can You Do? It's America!),” YIVO Online Exhibitions, accessed December 23, 2024, https://immigrationusa.yivo.org/items/show/6342.
Submit a transcription, translation or additional information on the song or the performer