Wolf Krakowski and the Lonesome Brothers: Ven Du Lakhst (When You Laugh) -- A Yiddish Song

Composed by Yiddish theatre star Max Perlman (1909-1985) this song paints a picture of an aging actor looking over his scrapbook of fading memories, "When you laugh, the world laughs with you. When you cry, you cry alone."

Performed by Wolf Krakowski with the Lonesome Brothers (Jim Armenti, Ray Mason, Bob Grant), Dan Lombardo and the Fabulous Transmigrations (Fraidy Katz, Esther Romeyn, Dara Wald).

Recorded in concert at the University of Florida@ Gainesville.

"What more can a person want,
but a bit of happiness
So he can live his life well.
The pauper rejoices when he finds
Something he himself once lost.
One person finds happiness only in riches
And seeks to acquire more money.
ANother wants only to win back
The love he has so sorely missed.
It's difficult to find a true friend,
And if you do find one,
Cherish him today. When you laugh (2)
The world laughs with you.
When you cry, you cry alone.
When things go well (2)
There's no shortage of pals.
When things go badly, You're as alone as a stone.

The old actor, I know, sings this
same song, too.
He was once famous, it seems,
And now he plays second fiddle.
Bit by bit, he turns over every feeling.
His success, his acclaim are all forgotten.
The curtain falls down
On the old actor for the last time.
He leafs through all his old newspaper clippings
And sings in a tear-filled voice:

(CHO)

(BRIDGE) The whole world has changed,
And people aren't what the once were.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Yiddish
• Jewish
• World Music
• Yiddish theatre
• song
• Wolf Krakowski
• Ashkenazi
• klezmer
• Lonesome Brothers
• Live Concert
• roots-rock
• mameloshn
• yidishkayt
• blues
• Kame'a Media
• www.kamea.com
• Radical Jewish Culture
• Tzadik Records
• Jim Armenti
• Ray Mason
• Bob Grant
• Fraidy Katz
• Esther Romeyn
• Dara Wald
• Transmigrations: Gilgul
• Diaspora
• golus
• galut
• Dan Lombardo