Chiri Biri Bom arranged by guest Josh Black

I thought it would be a nice change to use this space to give my guests a chance to share not only their biographical information, but also some words about a song they wanted to share, so the text below is from Josh Black, and his bio follows. A pronunciation video for Chiri Biri Bom can be found at: • Chiri Biri Bom Pronunc...
From Josh:
On a trip down to San Diego last year, my partner Stacie was looking for a place to donate some Judaica she had inherited that we unfortunately did not have space or use for. She found a nonprofit operating out of a storefront in La Jolla called Yiddishland California (yiddishlandcal...) which was happy to take her donated goods, so we stopped in to drop them off and have a look around. The nonprofit supports the survival of Yiddish through language and art classes, concerts and other performances, lectures, exhibits, and more. I was drawn to a book of Yiddish sheet music for sale in the store called “S’iz Yontev Kinder! Lomir Zingen! (It’s a Holiday, Children! Let’s Sing!).”
Though I did not grow up in the Jewish tradition, Stacie and I, along with our cat, Gibson, have a multi-faith household, and I am always eager to find new melodies to use in the annual celebrations we host and attend with friends and family for Rosh Hashanah, Hannukkah, and Passover. The first song in the book, however, is not a holiday song. It is a pure nonsense song from the Hasidic tradition which I found instantly charming and infectious. My arrangement owes a great deal of inspiration to the swing recording the Barry Sisters recorded in 1961.
Josh Black is a baritone originally from Salt Lake City who has lived in San Francisco since 2007. He has sung professionally with Oakland Symphony Chorus, West Edge Opera, Volti, Chalice Consort, Lyric Opera Kansas City, Tulsa Opera, Light Opera Oklahoma, and Cimarron Circuit Opera Company. He is a co-owner and Director of Finance for Piccola Carolers (www.facebook.c..., a Victorian costumed Christmas caroling company which employs over 25 singers to perform in quartets at parties, shopping centers, and tree lightings around the Bay Area each holiday season. He has also been a professional church musician for the past 20 years, and is currently the bass section leader at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Burlingame.
Lyrics and translation:
Az ikh vel zingen: l'kha doydi
Zolstu zingen: chiri biri bim
Az ikh vel zingen: lik'ras kalo
Zolstu zingen: chiri biri bom
L'kha dodi: chiri biri bim
Likras kaleh: chiri biri bom
L'cha doydi likras kalo!
When I sing, "Come my beloved,"
You should sing, "Chiri biri bim."
When I sing, "To meet the bride,"
You should sing, "Chiri biri bom."
"Come my beloved!" Chiri biri bim!
"To meet the bride!" Chiri biri bam!
Chiri biri biri biri bom, etc.
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