From the mailbag...

Yitz from Heichal HaNegina comments on this post.

The word ôùòé can also be read "pish'i" in the singular, NOT in the plural as you assumed, and therefore does indeed rhyme with "shlishi".

The Chasof verse appears like that in many siddurim, etc. According to Rav Aryeh Kaplan's "Laws of Chauka" booklet [p. 79], the version with "Dichei Admon", etc. is from the original source [which he cites in a footnote as Kitzur Shnei Luchot HaBrit, although even from there, there was a change made]. The version of "m'chei pesha, v'gam resha" he says is from "later sources," which he notes is from Rav Yaakov Emden's siddur. He also notes that the popular Barditchev Siddur, Tefilla Yeshara, has both.

I thought of that, but it doesn’t seem to make sense. What “sin” is the paytan referring to? My impression is that the usual usage of that type of language —referring to chatoim and peshaim -- is in the plural. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of a reference in the singular from selichos. Although, I suppose it could be poetic license.

Shalom Septimus writes:

Regarding the recent posts, concerning the "borrowing" of goyish tunes
for Jewish songs...

The original words for "Yidden" are as follows:

>Hu Ha, Hu Ha, Hu Ha, Hu Ha, Hu Ha, Hu Ha, Hu Ha, Hu Ha,
>Huha, Huha, Huha, Huha
>
>Sie ritten um die Wette mitt dem Steppenwind, tausend Mann.
>Ha Hu Ha
>Und einer ritt voran, dem folgten alle blind Dschingis Kahn.
>Ha Hu Ha
>Die Hufe ihrer Pferde, die peitschten im Sand.
>Sie trugen Angst und Schrecken in jedes Land.
>Und weder Blitz noch Donner hielt sie auf.
>Hu (2) Ha(4)
>
>Dsching-, Dsching-, Dschingis Kahn
>He Reiter, ho Reiter, he Reiter immer weiter
>Dsching-, Dsching-, Dschingis Kahn
>Auf Brüder, Saufbrüder, Raufbrüder, immer wieder
>laßt doch Wodka holen, Hohohoho
>denn wir sind Mongolen, Hahahaha
>Und der Teufel kriegt uns früh genug.
>Dsching-, Dsching-, Dschingis Kahn
>He Reiter, ho Reiter, he Reiter immer weiter
>Dsching-, Dsching-, Dschingis Kahn
>He Männer, ho Männer, tanzt Männer, so wie immer
>und man hört ihn lachen, Hohohoho
>immer lauter lachen, Hahahaha
>und er leert den Krug in einem Zug.
>
>Und jedes Weib, das ihm gefiel, das nahm er sich in sein Zelt.
>Ha Hu Ha
>Es hieß, die Frau, die ihn nicht liebte, gab es nicht auf der Welt
>Ha Hu Ha
>Er zeugte sieben Kinder in einer Nacht,
>und über seine Feinde hat er nur gelacht,
>denn seiner Kraft konnt' keiner wiederstehn.
>Hu (2) Ha(4)
>
>Dsching-, Dsching-, Dschingis Kahn
>He Reiter, ho Reiter, he Reiter immer weiter
>Dsching-, Dsching-, Dschingis Kahn
>Auf Brüder, Saufbrüder, Raufbrüder, immer wieder
>laßt doch Wodka holen, Hohohoho
>denn wir sind Mongolen, Hahahaha
>Und der Teufel kriegt uns früh genug.
>Dsching-, Dsching-, Dschingis Kahn
>He Reiter, ho Reiter, he Reiter immer weiter
>Dsching-, Dsching-, Dschingis Kahn
>He Männer, ho Männer, tanzt Männer, so wie immer
>und man hört ihn lachen, Hohohoho
>immer lauter lachen, Hahahaha
>und er leert den Krug in einem Zug.

Oh, here's another... Yosi Piamenta's Kol Hamesameach, and I hope you
understand Turkish!

>Takmis koluna elin adamini
>Beni orta yerimden catlatiyor
>Agzinda sakizi sisirip sisirip
>Arsiz arsiz patlatiyor
>
>Biz boyle mi gorduk babamizdan
>ele gune rezil olduk.
>Yeni adet gelmis eski koye bak
>dostlar mahvolduk.
>
>Seni gidi findik kiran
>Yilani deliginden cikaran
>Kaderim puskullu belam
>Yakalarsam (kiss kiss)!!!!
>
>Seni gidi findik kiran
>Yilani deliginden cikaran
>Kaderim puskullu belam
>Yakalarsam (kiss kiss)!!!!
>
>
>Takmis koluna elin adamini
>Beni orta yerimden catlatiyor
>Agzinda sakizi sisirip sisirip
>Arsiz arsiz patlatiyor
>
>
>Biz böylemi görduk babamizdan
>Ele gune rezil olduk
>Yeni adet gelmis eski köye vah
>Dostlar mahvolduk
>
>Seni gidi findik kiran
>Yilani deliginden cikaran
>Kaderim puskullu belam
>Yakalarsam (kiss kiss)!!!!
>
>Seni gidi findik kiran
>Yilani deliginden cikaran
>Kaderim puskullu belam
>Yakalarsam (kiss kiss)!!!!
>
>Ocagina dustum yavru
>Kucagina dustum yavru
>Sicagina dustum yavru
>El aman
>
>Ocagina dustum yavru
>Kucagina dustum yavru
>Sicagina dustum yavru
>El aman
>
>... (couplet without music)
>
>Seni gidi findik kiran
>Yilani deliginden cikaran
>Kaderim puskullu belam
>Yakalarsam (kiss kiss)!!!!
>
>Seni gidi findik kiran
>Yilani deliginden cikaran
>Kaderim puskullu belam
>Yakalarsam (kiss kiss)!!!!
>
>Seni gidi findik kiran
>Yilani deliginden cikaran
>Kaderim puskullu belam
>Yakalarsam (kiss kiss)!!!!
>
>Seni gidi findik kiran
>Yilani deliginden cikaran
>Kaderim puskullu belam
>Yakalarsam (KISS)!!!!

I have found a translation of the above, but I'm not sure you really
want to know what it means.

Actually, at the first gig I played where Turkish Kiss was requested, (it was before Piamenta recorded his version), one of the waiters, who was a Turk, recognized the song, came over and commented that "I'd tell you what it means, but it's rude!" He was quite pleased that we knew it.