Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
News

DER YIDDISH-VINKL January 30, 2004

For Stanley Siegelman, our versatile versifier, any news, especially if it is on the odd or weird side, is grist for his poetic mill, as regular readers of Der Vinkl must now know. He somehow manages to mix good humor with vitriol. The latest victim of his acerbic pleasantry is Michael Jackson, who has been charged with child molestation.

Michael Jackson Baklogt Zikh

Di kinder fun der velt ikh lib

Mit mir zey shpiln in mayn shtib,

Ikh lakh di “prosecutors” oys!

Kum, kinderlakh tsu mir in hoyz.

Ikh lig mit zey in bet? Keyn lign,

A man darf dokh a dreml krign!

Di kleyne libn zeyer mayn “style.”

Dos meynt ikh bin a “pedophile”?

Ikh bin, m’zogt, a bisl “queer.”

Tsulib dem bin ikh yetst a gvir!

“Pied Piper” bin ikh — zeyer “cute”;

Ikh shpil far “kids” mayn “magic flute.”

Tsu tin a mitsve iz mayn bafel:

Derfar zey shikn mir tsum “jail?”

A yingl iz mayn bester fraynd,

Nur freg mir nit keyn frage haynt.

Kumt morgn, ven er vert shoyn groys

Er ken avekgeyn fun mayn hoyz

Di “prosecution” makht a “bluff

Tsu mir kumt nit a shvartser sof.*

Michael Jackson’s Lament

So says the man with one white glove:

The children of the world I love.

These baseless charges make me blanch

As youngsters roam my raunch-free ranch.

Sometimes into their beds I’ll creep.

So what? A man deserves to sleep!

The kiddies like my verve and style.

Does this make me a pedophile?

Some say that I’m a little queer.

But pre-pubescents need not fear!

“Pied Piper” is my attribute.

The kids adore my magic flute.

To do good deeds is my intent

I’m blameless, pure and innocent!

I’m just a person who enjoys

The company of little boys.

I love to hear their joyful shouts

Before they’re grown and peter out.

Of accusations I’ve had enough

I shall avert a “shvartser sof.” *

  • a calamitous conclusion

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.

In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.

At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.

Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.

Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly. 

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.