Dime, mi sinyor padre, /ˈdime mi siˈɲoɾ ˈpaðɾe/ Tell me, my father,

ke yo ya me ize mucho grande, grande /ke ʝo ʝa me ˈize ˈmutʃo ˈɣɾande ˈɣɾande/ I am already quite grown, grown,

de ke no me kazas, sinyor padre? /de ke no me ˈkazas siˈɲoɾ ˈpaðɾe/ why don’t you marry me off, my father?

Komo no ke te kaze, mi ijo, /ˈkomo no ke te ˈkaze mi ˈiʒo/ How can I marry you off, my son,

tu no tienes, ni djuben, ni antari, ni kapitana, /tu no ˈtjenes ni dʒuˈben ni anˈtaɾi ni kapiˈtana/ you have neither robe, nor tunic, nor coat,

ni kushak de lana, ni stivaletos en el pie ke azen frichi frichi frichi, /ni kuˈʃak de ˈlana ni stivaˈletos en el pje ke ˈazen ˈfɾitʃi ˈfɾitʃi ˈfɾitʃi/ nor a woolen sash, nor boots on your feet that go “frichi, frichi, frichi,”

ni urika en el belt ke aze taka taka taka, /ni uˈɾika en el belt ke ˈaze ˈtaka ˈtaka ˈtaka/ nor a watch on your belt that goes “taka, taka, taka,”

ni la fejijika! /ni la feʒiˈʒika/ nor even the elegant little fez!

**Djan [1] beindis [2] dala al kalup[3] ash kulsun. [5] ** /dʒan beˈindis daˈla al kaˈlup aʃ kulˈsun/ May you find your fortune/may you settle properly in life.

[1] Can [dʒan] in Turkish means “soul.” Anyone who grew up in a household of Asia Minor refugees may remember the expression [dʒaˈnɯm] (canım), which was used to address a beloved person and means “my soul” or “my dear.”

[2] It is possible that the word derives from the verb bendezir (“to bless”), and within the context of the song it could mean “my blessed soul.” However, it may also derive from the Turkish verb beğenmek, which means “to approve.”

[3] Mold

[4] Idiomatic expression: “to fit into the mold,” or, as we would say today, “to find your way in life.”