Musicals & Broadway - 60's - 1964

as made famous by Fiddler On The Roof

Songwriter : Sheldon M Harnick

Composer : Jerry Bock

License courtesy of : EMHA

This title is a cover of If I Were A Rich Man as made famous by Fiddler On The Roof

Dear God, you made many many poor people
I realize of course that it's no great shame to be poor
But it's no great honor either
So what would have been so terrible if I had a... a small fortune?
If I were a rich man
Ya da de ha de ha de ha de da de da de da dum
All day long
I'd biddy biddy bum
If I were a wealthy man
I wouldn't have to work hard
Ya pa de ha de ha de ha de da de da de da dum
If I were a very very rich
Yedle-deddle-dedle dedle man
I'd build a big tall house with rooms by the dozen right in the middle of the town
A fine tin roof with real wooden floors below
There could be one long staircase just going up and one even longer coming down
And one more leading nowhere just for show
I'd fill my yard with chicks and turkeys and geese and ducks for the town to see and hear
Squawking just as noisily as they can
And each loud
"Swaqwk swaqwk swaqwk swaqwk"
Would land like a trumpet on the ears
As if to say
"Here lives a wealthy man"
Ha...
If I were a rich man
Ya da de ha de ha de ha de da de da de da dum
All day long
I'd biddy biddy bum
If I were a wealthy man
I wouldn't have to work hard
Ya da de ha de ha de ha de da de da de da dum
If I were a very very rich
Yedle-deddle-dedle dedle man
I see my wife my Golde looking like a rich man's wife with a proper double-chin
Supervising meals to her heart's delight
I see her putting on airs and strutting like a peacock oh what a happy mood she's in
Screaming at the servants day and night
The most important men in town will come to fall on me
They would ask me to advise them
Like Solomon the Wise
"If you please Reb Tevye..."
"Pardon me Reb Tevye..."
Posing problems that would cross a rabbi's eyes
La-re-la-re-la-ra-ra
And it won't make one bit of difference if I answer right or wrong
When you're rich they think you really know
If I were rich
I'd have the time that I lack to sit in the synagogue and pray
And maybe have a seat by the Eastern wall
And I'd discuss the holy books with the learned men seven hours every day
That would be the sweetest thing of all
Oh...
If I were a rich man
Ya da de ha de ha de ha de da de da de da dum
All day long
I'd biddy biddy bum
If I were a wealthy man
I wouldn't have to work hard
Ya da de ha de ha de ha de da de da de da bum
Lord who made the lion and the lamb
You decreed
I should be what I am
Would it spoil some vast eternal plan
If I were a wealthy man?

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