Jeff wrote asking for help with a Yiddish song. Here’s his email:
Hi,
I grew up reciting a Yiddish rhyme or song where we pinched the skin on the back of each others hands and bobbed them up and down while saying something like (and I’m just writing what it sounded like):
"Sipicle sipicle amadal, kimsimir and kamadal, hipis hopis razen, a shishela with vazen".
Do have any idea what that might be or what we were saying?
Thanks,
Jeff
If anyone can help Jeff, please comment below.
Thanks!
Mama Lisa
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August 17th, 2014 at 11:35 pm
No problem, Jeff. My paternal grandmother was from Vishnevets, Russian Empire, and we played the same game of pinching the skin on each other’s hands and moving up and down while we recited in Yiddish:
Knippe, knippe naigeleh.
Mame koifen eyelech
Baken, baken bageleh.
Gezund zol zein in die eigelech.
Kitzoo!
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
Pinch, pinch little nails.
Mama buys eggs
To bake bagels.
Good [health] should flow in the eyes.
I am guessing that “Kitzoo,” which was always accompanied by tickling, was probably an abbreviated form of “kitchie, kitchie, koo!”