As Chanukah approaches, the inescapable tunes of the season begin to play, and for many, one song rises to the top of the playlist: “The Dreidel Song.” However, beneath its seemingly innocent and festive melody lies a series of fabrications about the very subject it celebrates – the dreidel itself. It’s not just a matter of subjective taste; the problem runs deeper, into the realm of factual inaccuracy and, dare we say, lyrical laziness.
While countless superior Chanukah songs exist, “The Dreidel Song” unfortunately dominates, often leading to the misconception that the Jewish musical tradition for Chanukah is somehow lacking. This couldn’t be further from the truth. A wealth of wonderful Chanukah music awaits discovery by those willing to look beyond the well-trodden path of this particular tune.
Let’s dissect the lyrics line by line to understand just how far “The Dreidel Song” deviates from dreidel reality:
“I made it”
This opening line immediately sets a false premise. The reality is, very few people, especially children who are the target audience for this song, are crafting their own dreidels. Dreidels are overwhelmingly store-bought, mass-produced items, or perhaps received as gifts. Artisan dreidels exist, and machine-made dreidels are common, but homemade dreidels are a rarity. The song begins with a charming, yet untrue, declaration of creation.
“Out of clay”
Here, the inaccuracy deepens. Clay is simply not a practical material for dreidels. A functional dreidel requires balance to spin effectively, a quality exceedingly difficult to achieve with clay. Clay dreidels are prone to uneven weight distribution, resulting in erratic and frustrating spins. Personal experience confirms this; clay dreidels consistently perform poorly compared to those made of wood or plastic.
“When it’s dry”
This line compounds the clay dreidel fallacy. The timeframe for air-drying clay is incompatible with the impatient nature of children eager to play. Furthermore, genuine clay artistry typically involves kiln-firing for durability, not mere air-drying. This lyric adds another layer of impracticality to the already improbable clay dreidel.
“With dreidel I shall…”
The use of “shall” introduces an archaic tone that feels out of place in a children’s song. “Shall” has largely faded from common usage in modern English, sounding overly formal and antiquated. It creates a jarring stylistic choice that detracts from the song’s accessibility.
“It has a lovely body”
Describing a dreidel as having a “lovely body” is a peculiar anthropomorphism. Dreidels are functional objects, not figures of aesthetic admiration in this way. The comparison to a human or animal body is ill-fitting and somewhat comical. The shape of a dreidel is more akin to a geometric form than a “body.”
“With legs”
A dreidel, by definition, spins on a single point. Referring to “legs” is inaccurate. A dreidel has a base, or a point, but not “legs” in the plural sense. The spinning action is analogous to a spinning top or a figure skater on one leg, not multiple legs.
“So short and thin.”
The description of the dreidel’s base as “short and thin” is also debatable. The base of a dreidel is often not significantly smaller in width than the main “body” of the dreidel. Additionally, the base is typically tapered, not uniformly “thin.” This lyric misrepresents the actual proportions of a standard dreidel.
“And then I win.”
This final line presents the most significant misrepresentation of the dreidel game. Landing on certain sides of the dreidel does not automatically equate to winning. In fact, landing on two of the four sides (‘nun’ and ‘shin’) results in either no action or losing tokens. Even landing on ‘hey’ only yields half the pot, not a win. Only ‘gimmel’ allows taking the entire pot, but even then, the game continues until one player accumulates all the tokens. The song’s conclusion drastically oversimplifies and misrepresents the actual rules and outcome of playing dreidel.
In conclusion, while “The Dreidel Song” may be a familiar and easily remembered tune, its lyrical content is riddled with inaccuracies and questionable artistic choices. For those seeking a more authentic and meaningful Chanukah musical experience, exploring the vast repertoire of other Chanukah songs is highly recommended. It’s time to move beyond the misleading simplicity of “The Dreidel Song” and discover the richer musical traditions of Chanukah.
