On an otherwise forgettable episode of Parks and Recreation this week, a character said `Schlemiel, Schlemazel` in an obvious Laverne and Shirley reference, which got me thinking, LAVERNE AND SHIRLEY, WOO HOO!
And then it got me thinking, we have been hearing that damn theme song for thirty years -- Give us any chance we'll take it, give us any rule we'll break it, blah, blah, blah, Schlemiel, Schlemazel, blah blah blah..." -- so what the hell do those words mean?
So according the the always reliable and factually correct google search, here it is:
Schlemiel: originally Yiddish, a schlemiel is a dolt who is a habitual bungler. I think I remember my grandfather using this one. I hope to hell he wasn't referring to me.
Schlemazel: also Yiddish, is an extremely unlucky or inept person, a habitual failure. Have not heard this one outside of sitcom land. Makes me think of karnatzel, therefore makes me totally hungry.
Okay, so they are both Yiddish and they are both about losers by their own fault or just dumb luck. Hmmm.
So all of a sudden the happy song seems less fun. Or, taken in the context of Laverne and Shirley and an optimistic view in general, I guess it is about them getting over their misfortunes and going forward and being happy... having fun and adventures and bad hair and Lenny and Squiggy and crappy jobs and good friendships and tacky L`s on you clothes and as the song says, We're gonna make our dreams come true. Doin' it our way.
So the moral of the story is you fall down, you stand up and dust yourself off and go forward arm in arm with your friends and make your dreams come true and it is all good news!
Uh, wait, potential itty bitty little glitch here... the song goes, Schlemiel, Schlemezal, Hasenpfeffer Incorporated! And when I looked it up, a hasenpfeffer is a peppery rabbit stew of German origin... that does not fit at all, so yep, I have no effing idea what that all adds up to...
We`re gonna make our dreams come true, doing it our way, with Jewish bumpkins and rabbit stew...