heysn heys ikh Yosl Ber an ikh din in militer shtivl trog ikh, а mundir l'hovdl vi an ofitsir
geven bin ikh a shuster yung gelekt podeshves mitn tsung haynt hob ikh a biks, a shverd shusteray hob ikh in dr'erd yosl ber dint in militer
Yosl Ber din in militer Yosl Yosl Yosl Ber din in militer
yes my name is Yosl Ber / & I serve the militar' steel-toed boots & a uniform / keep this soldier's carcass warm I used to work in a factory / 'til the army drafted me now I work for army brass / factory can kiss my ass
Yosl Ber serves the militar' Yosl Yosl Yosl Ber serves the militar'
Vashe visokorodye, kh'bin take a tray er zelner un take derfar bin ikh antlofn! ikh hob azoy faynt dem soyne, az ikh vel im afile in di oygn nit onkukn
[accused of having broken his oath to the Czar by running away from the front, the arrested Jewish soldier replys to his officer: "but sir, 1 am indeed a faithful soldier! that's why I ran away from the front! I hate the enemy so much, I don't even want to look him in the eye!"]
gey ikh mir in gas aroys un ikh zukh a meydl oys gib mir bronfn, vayn un fish un vos vayter, zog ikh nisht
every night I hit the town / all you ladies gather 'round gimme brandy, gimme wine / gimme something else that's fine
Yosl Ber din in militer Yosl Yosl Yosl Ber din in militer