In the ancient land of Zion lives a man who’s in there tryin’
He’s a modern son of Isra-el
He’s had travels educational, almost ev’ry state and nation’ll
Verify he’s been there for a spell
He’s collected merry japes and quips
On fifteen different Fulbright fellowships -
Folksongs, dances he’s collected, hardly any he’s rejected
And he’s brought them back to Isra-el,
He is now the top authority of the Folknik young minority
He’s even been accepted by Hillel -
He’s expert on recorder and guitar
But so far on the shofar he’s no star -
The young folks are delighted when he sings in Hottentot
He’ll sing when he’s invited and he’ll sing when he is not -
In Yiddish Svensk and Gaelic he will give and give and give
He’s Merry Madcap Moskowitz the toast of Tel-a-viv!
Though his travels are extensive he is really not expensive
He has often sung for cakes and ale -
Transportation he finagles, lives for weeks on lox and bagels
He’s sung at Leland Stanford and at Yale
He took a powder when at Julliard
But they shout “come louder” up at Harvard Yard -
Audience participation he invites with animation
It’s wunderbar the way he can cajole
He flips when Reba, Jake, and Morris join with him to sing the chorus
Even though it may be rock and roll,
The Upper Crust and Hoi-poloi enjoy
And they don’t mind if sometimes there’s a goy -
You should see him dance the Hora with a little Irish twist
It’s a jig from Glockamorra, he’s a Free-state Zionist
Sings “Lock Lomond” with the Cantor tam-o-shanter? positive!
He’s Merry Madcap Moskowitz the toast of Tel-a-viv!
Snobniks pseudo-intellectual call his research ineffectual
Lacking ethnic authenticity -
They all say in tones sepulchral “Moskowitz he just ain’t cultural,
He will never get his P. H. D.!”
But Moskowitz just goes his merry way
Rounding up another round-e-lay -
He’ll go running round the mountain, leaping over field and fountain
Searching out a good old mountain song
When he finds it he will learn it but by cracky and gosh dern it
He will bring it home and sing it wrong -
If the words the music never fits
You can blame it all on Moskowitz!
You should hear him singing “Greensleeves” with a country music heat
When he sings “Shalom aleichem” it’s like forty second street
And what he does to folksongs nobody would believe
He’s Merry Madcap Moskowitz the toast of Tel-a-viv!
He will dance for several hours, and then he’ll dance some more
There never are wall flowers when he is on the floor
He’s a gay gemutlich nudnik with his heart upon his sleeve -
He’s Merry Madcap Moskowitz the toast of Tel-a-viv!
