"There once was an alef"….

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  • November 28, 2012 5:07 pm at 5:07 pm #606899
    yes44
    Participant

    I was reminiscing with my brother, and we remembered a song from a record we had when we were little, in the early 70s. Our favorite song started with “There once was an alef that went for a walk”. (I can quote more lyrics even though I haven’t heard the song in almost 40 years. But I can barely remember what happened last week. sheesh.)

    But we can’t remember the name of the record. Google turned up nothing, and I couldn’t find a song with that name on MostlyMusic.

    Does anyone know anything about that album?

    November 29, 2012 12:37 am at 12:37 am #909855
    farrocks
    Member

    The coffee room are mostly a youthful bunch who think 40 years ago are when dinosaurs still roamed North America.

    November 29, 2012 1:35 am at 1:35 am #909856
    SaysMe
    Member

    i did some of my own googling for you and found a site that said it’s from Morah Blanka of the Mitzvah Tree. does that sound correct?

    November 29, 2012 2:11 am at 2:11 am #909858
    postsemgirl
    Member

    Yeah it was the Mitzvah Tree. I remember watching the record spin around as it played. I used to jump up and down next to the player to make the needle jump. My mother didn’t like that too much.

    November 29, 2012 2:35 am at 2:35 am #909859
    BaalHabooze
    Participant

    “There once was an alef that went for a walk,

    he met Beis and Veis and they had a little talk”

    anyone remember the rest of the lyrics? postsemgirl?

    November 29, 2012 2:42 am at 2:42 am #909860
    postsemgirl
    Member

    Shalom Mister gimmel and how are you today

    I feel baruch Hashem fine is what the gimmel did say

    then alef, bais, veis, gimmel went down the street

    and who do you think they happened to meet?

    it was the daled and the hey and the vav and the zayin

    they went to the fountain to drink some mayim

    then ches tes yud also came there to them

    then ALEF, BAIS, VEIS, GIMMEL, DALE, HEY, VAV, ZAYIN, CHES, TES, YUD……..RAN TO DAVEN TO HASHEM!

    Ta da!

    November 30, 2012 6:49 am at 6:49 am #909861
    yes44
    Participant

    I think she’s got it! Thanks postsemgirl for those lyrics.

    Ah, The Mitzvah Tree! We had those records. I had almost forgotten about them!

    With that lead I started poking around and found the first three Mitzvah Tree records (I have access to the Dartmouth Jewish Sound Archive, a great resource) —

    The Mitzvah Tree (1972) .. back cover .. song list

    Stories Under the Mitzvah Tree(1973)

    I hear a Mitzvah (1975) .. back cover .. song list

    I’m sure I had heard the record in question by 1975, so I don’t think it would have been on a later record. And I don’t see “There once was an Alef” on any of these three.

    BUT, it does say on the back of The Mitzvah Tree album “Last year a small record with original songs entitled ‘Songs from Torah from Our Morah’ was issued”. Hmm, a small record… I can almost see myself as a young kid putting a small record (the kind with the big hole in the middle) on and singing Shalom Mr Alef….

    November 30, 2012 2:21 pm at 2:21 pm #909862
    BaalHabooze
    Participant

    Bravo, postsemgirl! Bravo!

    We looooved the Mitzva Tree records/tapes growing up! I sometimes tell my kids the story of Noami (who did not like to pack away her toys.) They love it!

    November 30, 2012 3:34 pm at 3:34 pm #909863
    postsemgirl
    Member

    Thank you thank you. Those songs are seared into my brain. no way to get them out. lol.

    yes44 – I don’t remember any of those years that you mentioned…sorry

    Baal – I don’t have kids yet but I have told those stories over to nieces and nephews. The story about the girl who fed her food to the garbage can and she got all skinny and ugly while the garbage can got pretty and big. That’s one of my favorites.

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