Grine kuzine (Green Cousin), song about emigration, 1921

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The song, with a debatable authorship, was written for a Jewish theater. It was performed both in Europe and in the United States, and it became one of the most popular migrant works. The word “green” was an ironic definition of new immigrants who did not navigate well in American reality. The song “Green Cousin” raises the issue of disappointment of migrants in America, where hard work exhausts new-comers and does not bring the expected profit. The “Columbian state” appears not as a dream country where dreams come true, but a society of inequalities. Despite the hilarious music and satirical plot, the song shows the anxiety of emigrants due to the lack of growth opportunities and profit-based economy.

Title:: Grine kuzine (Green Cousin), song about emigration, 1921
Year:: 1921
Source:: Milken Archive of Jewish Music
See more:: listen to the song
Original language:: Yudish

Grine kuzine (Green cousin)

My cousin from the old country came over here.
She was beautiful as gold, the “greenhorn.”
Her cheeks were rosy like blood oranges;
her feet were just begging to dance.

She skipped instead of walking;
she sang instead of speaking.
Happy and merry was her demeanor.
Such was my cousin.

I went to the lady next door,
who has a little millinery store.
I got my greenhorn cousin a job there —
so long live the Golden Land!

Many years have since past.
My cousin has turned into a wreck.
She slaved away for many years
until nothing was left of her.

Under her blue, beautiful eyes
black bags have appeared.
The cheeks, those ruddy oranges,
have aged and lost their greenhorn glow.

Nowadays, when I meet my cousin
and I ask her, “How are you, greenhorn?”
She answers me with a crooked expression:
“Columbus’s land can go to hell!”

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