Here's a video featuring a performance of the song by Theodore Bikel, followed by a rewritten version by Benny Goodman and Peggy Lee. The clips are from Barbara Streisand's Jewish musical film, Yentl.
Shein vi gold iz zi geven, di grine.
Bekelach vi roite pomerantzn,
Fiselach vos betn zich tzum tantzn
Herelech vi zaidn-veb gelokte
Tzeindelech, vi perelech getokte
Eygelech vi himl-bloi in friling
Lipelech vi karshelech a tzviling
Nisht gegangen is zi, nor geshprungen,
Nisht geredt hot zi nor gezungen
Lebedik un freilech yede mine
Ot aza geven is main kuzine!
Un azoi ariber zainen yorn
Fun main kuzine is a tel gevorn
Peydes (Hasonim) hot zi vochenlang geklibn
Biz fun ir iz gornisht nit geblibn
Haint az ich bagegn main kuzine
Un ich freg ir: "s'machstu epes, grine?"
Ziftzt zi op, un ch'leien in ir mine:
"Brenen zol Colombus'es medine!"
TRANSLITERATION
My green cousin came to me.
Beautiful like gold is my green cousin,
With cheeks like red apples
And her little feet just begging for a dance
Her curly hair was like silk,her white teeth - like
pearls,
her eyes - like the blue skies in springtime
and her lips like
cherries
in the summer.
She didn't walk, she jumped,
she didn't speak, she sang,
lively and happy every minute,
that was my cousin.
What a beauty my cousin used to be.
Many years passed.
Her judgment of young men was too strict
And she remained single
Today, I meet my cousin and ask her,
"How are you doing, my green cousin?"
She only sighs, and replies,
"Let this Columbus's land burn!"
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