Tum balalayke (214)
Traditional Yiddish
arr. Mark Zuzkerman

Play, Balalaika
A young man ponders the whole night long:
Whom to pick without disgrace?
Play, Balalaika
“Dear young woman, I’d like to ask you these riddles:
What can grow without rain?
What can burn without ceasing?
What can yearn and cry without tears?
Play, Balalaika
Silly boy, why do you need to ask?
A stone can grow without rain;
Love can burn without ceasing;
A heart can yearn and cry without tears.”
Play, Balalaika