About My Dreidel#
My Dreidel, sometimes called I Have a Little Dreidel, is one of the best known Hanukkah songs sung in English. It has been part of American Hanukkah celebrations since the early twentieth century, and a Yiddish version of the same idea circulated alongside it. Its exact composer is not settled, so it tends to be treated simply as a traditional holiday tune.
The cheerful, bouncing rhythm suits a spinning top. On the six-hole ocarina the melody keeps to a small, friendly range from D up to G, and its steady back-and-forth pattern is quick to memorize once you have played through it a couple of times.
My Dreidel 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 it gets all tired,
It drops and then I win.
My dreidel’s always playful,
It loves to dance and spin,
A happy game of dreidel,
Come play, now let’s begin.
My Dreidel Ocarina Tab#
| G | E | G | E | G | E | E | G | G | F | E | D | |
| F | D | F | D | F | D | D | G | F | E | D | C |