DeLeon - Barminan (Official Music Video)
Download "Barminan" here: http://ilovedeleon.com/track/barminan
DeLeon on Facebook: / ilovedeleon
Directed by Ryan Foregger. Edited by Ryan Foregger and Daniel Saks. Filmed by Ryan Foregger and Leah Ross. Melody and Lyrics are traditional.
From the Tremor Fantasma extended liner notes: / tremorfantasma
The expression "Barminan" is the rough equivalent of saying "Heaven Forbid." This song from Salonika is a series of short vignettes sung in Ladino, Greek and Turkish with the refrain "Barminan!" following each line.
It's a great example of a song that has probably had many verses come and go over the years. When folks would sit around and sing songs at the end of the day it's easy to picture people improvising verses on the spot about whatever was on their mind while the whole group would shout the "Barminan" refrain.
i.e.
Today when I went to the deli, Barminan
I ordered pastrami on rye, Barminan
But when the man brought my sammy
There was no pickle on the side, there was no pickle on the side, there was no pi-ckle on the side, Barminan!
But at some point the song gets recorded or written down and the whole thing gets frozen in time. Allow me to quote Pete Seeger once again from his book In His Own Words:
"A song is ever moving and changing. A folk song in a book is like a picture of a bird in midflight, printed in a bird book. The bird was moving before the picture was taken, and continued flying afterwards. It is valuable for a scientific record to know when and where the picture was taken, but no one is so foolish as to think that the picture is the bird." (p.68)
Well said Pete. The lyrics that we have here for Barminan aren't the bird. And though this bird took flight in Salonika, its species originated in Spain and this particular snapshot was taken in Mexico City. And if I may belabor the metaphor a bit more, turns out the bird migrated through the LES at some point in it's flight. Verse 4 translates roughly as:
The girls from Rivington Street
Have brought us a new style
When they walk down the street
They wiggle and shake their hips
I've read that that verse was added by the community of Greek Jewish immigrants when they came to NYC. Presumably they were taken aback by the sexy ladies they would pass, possibly after picking up some Matzah at Streit's on Rivington on their way over to the Greek Synagogue on Broome.
Lyrics:
Uma ija boba tengo -- barminán
Me la yaman tenderé -- barminán
Kuando sale a la plaza
Me la azen kiepazé
Asi biva ham liachi -- barminán
Asi biva yo con él -- barminán
Ke me tope una novia
Ke me sea a mi plazer
No me veas chikitiko -- barminán
Tengo anyos en kuti -- barminán
Boy de mi ya stan kazados
Tienen hijos al charshi
Moda mueva mos kitaron -- barminán
Las hijas de rivington -- barminán
Kuando salen a la plaza
Se les menea el digidón
Em este kurtijo madre -- barminán
Um fuego keria echar -- barminán
Ke se keme mi kerida
Ke no endenya a saludar
Barminán!
Translation:
I have a foolish daughter - Heaven Forbid!
They call her dumbbell - Heaven Forbid!
When she walks down the street
They make fun of her
For your sake Mr. Liachi - Heaven Forbid!
As well as for mine - Heaven Forbid!
Find me a wife
Who will please me
Don't think I'm so young - Heaven Forbid!
My years are well hidden - Heaven Forbid!
At my age, men are married
And have sons in business
The girls from Rivington Street - Heaven Forbid!
Have brought us a new style - Heaven Forbid!
When they walk down the street
They shake and wiggle their hips
In this beehive - Heaven Forbid!
A fire wants to ignite - Heaven Forbid!
If it burns my dear
You will not want to meet it