Song Video
Lyrics
I have a little dreidel
I made it out of clay
And when it's dry and ready
Then dreidel I shall play!
Oh - dreidel, dreidel, dreidel
I made it out of clay
And when it's dry and ready
Then dreidel I shall play!
It has a lovely body
With legs so short and thin
And when my dreidel's tired
It drops and then I win!
Oh - dreidel, dreidel, dreidel
I made it out of clay
And when it's dry and ready
Then dreidel I shall play!
My dreidel's always playful
It loves to dance and spin
A happy game of dreidel
Come play now, let's begin!
Oh - dreidel, dreidel, dreidel
I made it out of clay
And when it's dry and ready
Then dreidel I shall play!
Information About Chanukah - Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel
'Chanukah - Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel' is a children's song traditionally sung around Chanukah. As one of the most famous Chanukah songs, it's travelled around a bit and picked up a couple of variations in its name - 'I Have a Little Dreidel' is common, as is 'The Dreidel Song'.
While the English language version most popular, 'Chanukah - Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel' also exists in Yiddish. In the Yiddish version, the song is sung from the perspective of the dreidel, and begins 'I am a little dreidel'.
Interestingly, in the Yiddish version the dreidel is made out of 'blay', a type of lead, while in the English version the dreidel is made out of 'clay'; traditionally, dreidels were made out of blay.
Dreidel is the Yiddish word for spinning top, a very ancient toy that is designed to spin round very quickly while balanced on a small point.
Unlike ordinary spinning tops, dreidels have the letters Nun-Gimel-Heh-Shin printed on them, and this represents the Yiddish phrase for 'A Miracle Happened There'. This phrase refers to the miracle of the oil, and is used to play the 'Dreidel Game'.
Some claim that the dreidel was used to disguise the studying of the Torah when this was historically banned by the Greeks before the miracle of the oil. Disguising it as a game meant people could learn about the Torah without getting into trouble.
The tune of 'Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel' is the same in both Yiddish and English versions, but the words (lyrics) are attributed to different people. Samuel Grossman is known as the writer of the English version, while Samuel Goldfarb composed it. Mikhl Gelbart is known to have written the lyrics and composed the melody for the Yiddish version, which raises the question of who created the original tune.
Alternative Lyrics & Related Songs
This version has 6 verses
I have a little dreidel
I made it out of clay
And when it's dry and ready
Then dreidel I shall play.
Chorus:
Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel
I made it out of clay,
Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, (DIFFERENT)
Then dreidel I shall play.
It has a lovely body,
With legs so short and thin,
And when it is all tired
It drops and then I win.
(chorus).
Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel
With legs so short and thin
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel (DIFFERENT)
It drops and then I win.
(chorus).
My dreidel's always playful,
It loves to dance and spin
A happy game of dreidel
Come play, now let's begin.
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel
It loves to dance and spin.
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel (DIFFERENT)
Come play now, let's begin.
Another version that has different words
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, I made it out of clay.
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, now driedel I shall play.
I had a little dreidel, I made it out of soap,
I spun it in the bathtub, it will not melt, I hope.
Chorus
Oh dreidel, driedel, dreidel, I made it out of soap.
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, it will not melt, I hope.
I had a little dreidel, I made it out of straw,
It went 80 miles per hour, and broke the speeding law.
Chorus
Oh dreidel, driedel, dreidel, I made it out of straw.
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, it broke the speeding law.
I had a little dreidel, I made it out of bread,
I did not spin my dreidel, I ate it up instead.
Chorus
Oh dreidel, driedel, dreidel, I made it out of bread.
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, I ate it up again.
I had a little dreidel, I made it out of sand,
And when I tried to spin it, it crumbled in my hand.
Chorus
Oh dreidel, driedel, dreidel, I made it out of sand.
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, it crumbled in my hand.
I had a little dreidel, I made it out of jelly,
And when I tried to spin it, it shook its little belly.
Chorus
Oh dreidel, driedel, dreidel, I made it out of jelly.
Oh dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, it shook its little belly.
1 more version you can sing to
Oh dreidel dreidel dreidel
I made it out of clay
And when it's dry and ready
Oh dreidel I shall play
I have a little dreidel
I made it out of plastic
If someone steals my dreidel
I'll do something very drastic
[chorus]
I had a little dreidel
Whose moment of inertia
Was several factors smaller
Than my uncle's yellow Porsche
[chorus]
My brother took my dreidel
He swallowed it, he said
Since I can't spin my dreidel
I'll spin my bro instead
[chorus]
The position of my dreidel
Is quite hard to derive
Its angular momentum
Is certainly. 5
[chorus]
My dear old friend from Harvard
Said no that can't be right
That with 8 bunsen burners
Your Menorah you can't light
I then replied quite quickly
Your knowledge is quite small
For my 8 bunsen burners
Are filled with methanol
[chorus]
My nerdy little dreidel
Said to a course 6-3*
My outcomes are well quantized
I'll do well at MIT
[chorus]
Oh X-mas decorations
For us are quite extraneous
For X-mas isn't Chanukah
Although they're simultaneous
[chorus]
Oh Judas Maccabeus
He fought against the Greeks
A drop of oil lasted
For [SMACK!] 14 weeks.