If I Were a Rich Man - Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

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Embed: Would land like a trumpet on the ear
As if to say, "Here lives a wealthy man", oy!

If I were a rich man, daidle deedle daidle
Daidle daidle deedle daidle dum
All day long I'd biddy-biddy-bum
If I were a wealthy man

I wouldn't have to work hard, daidle deedle daidle
Daidle daidle deedle daidle dum
If I were a biddy-biddy rich
Daidle deedle daidle daidle, 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
Oy! What a happy mood she's in
Screaming at the servants day and night

The most important men in town will come to fawn on me
They will ask me to advise them like a Solomon the Wise
"If you please, Reb Tevye, pardon me, Reb Tevye?"
Posing problems that would cross a rabbi's eyes
Ya va voy, ya va voy, voy vum

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, oy!

If I were a rich man, daidle deedle daidle
Daidle daidle deedle daidle dum
All day long I'd biddy-biddy-bum
If I were a wealthy man

I wouldn't have to work hard, daidle deedle daidle
Daidle daidle deedle daidle dum
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?Lyrics provided by TANCODEhttp://lyricsever.com/" readonly=""/>

If I Were a Rich Man Lyrics

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 small fortune?

If I were a rich man, daidle deedle daidle
Daidle daidle deedle daidle dum
All day long I'd biddy-biddy-bum
If I were a wealthy man

I wouldn't have to work hard
Daidle deedle daidle
Daidle daidle deedle daidle dum
If I were a biddy-biddy rich
Daidle deedle daidle daidle, 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 the real wooden floors below
There would 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 "Pa-pa-gee! Pa-pa-gaack! Pa-pa-gee! Pa-pa-gaack!"
Would land like a trumpet on the ear
As if to say, "Here lives a wealthy man", oy!

If I were a rich man, daidle deedle daidle
Daidle daidle deedle daidle dum
All day long I'd biddy-biddy-bum
If I were a wealthy man

I wouldn't have to work hard, daidle deedle daidle
Daidle daidle deedle daidle dum
If I were a biddy-biddy rich
Daidle deedle daidle daidle, 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
Oy! What a happy mood she's in
Screaming at the servants day and night

The most important men in town will come to fawn on me
They will ask me to advise them like a Solomon the Wise
"If you please, Reb Tevye, pardon me, Reb Tevye?"
Posing problems that would cross a rabbi's eyes
Ya va voy, ya va voy, voy vum

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, oy!

If I were a rich man, daidle deedle daidle
Daidle daidle deedle daidle dum
All day long I'd biddy-biddy-bum
If I were a wealthy man

I wouldn't have to work hard, daidle deedle daidle
Daidle daidle deedle daidle dum
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?

Lyrics provided by LyricsEver.com
Herbert "Herb" Alpert (born March 31, 1935 in Los Angeles) is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass or as Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass or just TJB for short. He is also famous for being a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records (a recording label he and business partner Jerry Moss founded and eventually sold).

Born in Los Angeles, California, Alpert began trumpet lessons at about the age of eight and played at dances as a teenager. Acquiring an early wire recorder in high school, he experimented with recording on this crude equipment. After graduating from Fairfax High School in 1952, he joined the U.S. Army and frequently performed at military ceremonies. After his service in the Army, Alpert tried his hand at acting, but eventually settled on pursuing a career in music. While attending the University of Southern California in the 1950s, he was a member of the USC Trojan Marching Band for two years. He graduated with a BM in 1954.

In 1957, Alpert teamed up with Lou Adler, another burgeoning lyricist, as a songwriter for Keen Records. A number of songs written or co-written by Alpert during the following two years became top twenty hits, including "Baby Talk" by Jan and Dean, "Wonderful World" by Sam Cooke, and "Alley-Oop" by The Hollywood Argyles and by Dante and The Evergreens. In 1960, Alpert began his recording career as a vocalist at RCA Records under the name of Dore Alpert, where he recorded early vocals.

"Tell It To The Birds" was recorded as the first release on the Alpert & Moss label, Carnival Records. When Herb & Jerry found that there was prior usage of the Carnival name, their label became A&M Records.

More information on the band can be found at: http://www.tijuanabrass.com/herb-alpert-faq/

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Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass