Of the one I love, a songI will sing my whole life long. Sing, I will – sick to the bone,Like a loser, lest I'd moan. She was daddy's precious gem,Wish I kissed her tunic's hem,Her red lips apt to inviteDaddy's teeth to take a bite. Oh, she was so very fine,To this very day I pineFor the days when she was mine. Said she: "If you love me, goTo the bank and borrow dough –Have new teeth, set in a row." Lest she'd have to tell me twice,Got the lolly quick and nice,Had me teeth of finest gold,Like the upper crust of old. Bought her silk gowns as a treat,Velvet slippers for her feet,Walked her up and down the street,Jus' to show whoe'r we'd meetShe's the gal on whom I'm sweet. 'Cause I loved her, and I stillLove her, an' I always will,Though I'm faring mighty ill. Woe be to my no-good mind –Left my wedded wife behind,Just to pick up with a whoreSlouching barefoot past my door…Now I'm penniless and sore. Yet, whose doing was it, pray?May God strike her in the way!I would barely step outside –There she was! An' we'd collide…On my way to church, mark well, She'd trip me until I fell.I tried squeezing past her breast –Her fragrance gave me no rest. Poppies tucked behind her ear,She'd cause me to bolt and rear. Let the ones who know her tell –She was a right Jezebel;For she plucked her eyebrows fine,Curse her stars, each arching lineMerging with her braided hair,Till she drove me to despair. Next, there ain't much left to say –I was full under her sway,And she made a bid for fameAs my one and only dame. And she'd sweep me off my feet,As she cooed ever so sweetFrom between her linen sheets. May her mamma kiss her cold –I am still under her hold… She was mine, all mine, thought I,Through the curtains, though, she'd spyEvery joker passing by. Thus, one evening, past her doors,A Dragoon rode on his horse –She was quick to run outside,And she joined him for the ride. They kept galloping away,An' I'm wretched to this day, Left alone to nurse my itch,May the grave consume the bitch. Gypsy Ballads
by Miron Radu Paraschivescu (1911-1971)
