# Israeli folk music: what do these titles mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 27, 2014, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-folk-music-what-do-these-titles-mean/682392 "2014-02-27T06:34:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-folk-music-what-do-these-titles-mean/682392/1 "2014-02-27T06:34:41Z")
A Jewish friend gave me a cassette of Israeli folk music, sung by Tanja Solnik and Lisa Wanamaker. I like the music, but with no background in Hebrew, Yiddish, or Ladino I am hard put to understand the titles. They are: Amol Iz Geven Meise Durme Durme (which I think is Ladino for “sleep”) Laila Laila Oyfn Pripetshik Rozhinkes mit Mandlen Zing Faygeleh Zing Vig Lid Durme Mi Angelico (as above) Shlof Mine Kind (cf. German _schlaf mein kind)_ Mizmoir shir Hana’ava bbanot Los bibilicos (sounds like “books”) Shemesh bashamayim Belz Hinach yffa Tzel Ha’Etzim Lel Galil Gen Hashikmim Friling (sounds like German for “spring”) Yam Lid Anyone know these? ---
**Author:** ![Puzzler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d07c76/32.png) [@Puzzler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Puzzler)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-folk-music-what-do-these-titles-mean/682392/2 "2014-02-27T07:47:23Z")
The Hebrew ones I recognize: Laila Laila Night night (meening: each and every night) Zing Faygeleh Zing This one is in Yiddish, which I do not speek. I think it means “sing, little bird, sing” Current slang, BTW, is Faygeleh = Gay (offenssive) Mizmoir shir Psalm Song (literraly: chant song) Hana’ava bbanot The most humble (or most modest) of girls Shemesh bashamayim A sun in the sky Hinach yffa You are beautiful (female address form) Tzel Ha’Etzim Shadow of the trees Lel Galil A Galilee night Gen Hashikmim The sycamore garden (not possitive about the tree type, though) ETA: It seems you can get the rest by googling the name ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-folk-music-what-do-these-titles-mean/682392/3 "2014-02-27T08:47:12Z")
Thanks 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Puzzler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d07c76/32.png) [@Puzzler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Puzzler)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2014, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-folk-music-what-do-these-titles-mean/682392/4 "2014-02-27T09:27:03Z")
A small correction: I misread Na’ava and Annava… The correct translation: Hana’ava bbanot The most handsome of girls ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-folk-music-what-do-these-titles-mean/682392/5 "2014-02-28T00:50:21Z")
Rozhinkes mit Mandlen translates to “Raisins and Almonds”. It’s a Yiddish lullaby. So is Shlof Mine Kind, which, as you guessed, is Yiddish for “Sleep, my Child”. Amol iz geven a meise is “There was a story”, also a lullaby. Los Bilbilicos (“The Nightingales”), sometimes called La rosa enflorese (“The Rose Blooms”) is a Ladino love song. Durme Mi Angelico is also a lullaby, and translates to “Sleep, my Angel.” ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2014, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/israeli-folk-music-what-do-these-titles-mean/682392/6 "2014-02-28T02:16:23Z")
Thanks again.🙂