Do You Have A Question?

This morning, I was browsing through the TV programs and stopped at a channel featuring a Korean horror movie:

A man received a call from a man telling him that his wife was actually having an affair behind his back. He thought it was only a prank call.

Then, when his mother asked him who was the man she saw talking to his wife at the road side during the other day and she was very sure that the lady was her daughter-in-law.

And the owl keeps going: “Who? Who? Who?”

The man ended up killing his wife, got out of the prison and tried to locate the man who made the prank call but ended up being ridiculed by the mystery caller and still  failed to receive the answer he was looking for  — was his wife really having an affair?

He was already a regretful and confused old man when the two main characters managed to locate him and this was his conclusion:

“Thinking about too many questions without answers, it will become a curse.”

It wouldn’t be a curse if only he would have asked his wife in the first place.

His conclusion has somehow reminded me of a song which I’ve learnt many many many many years ago (when the first digit of my age began with a number ‘1’) — a song with interesting questions and wise answers.

Lyrics taken from Tumbalalaika (English Version)

The version I’ve learnt, apparently is an English version and a shorter one, the lyrics are as follow:

Maiden, Maiden Tell Me True

What Can Grow Without The Dew

What Can Burn For Years And Years

What Can Cry And Shed No Tears

Tum-bala, Tum-bala, Tum-bala Laika x 2

Tum-bala Laika x 4

Foolish Lad, I’ll Tell You True

A Stone Can Grow Without A Dew

Love Can Burn For Years And Years

A Heart Can Cry And Shed No Tears

Tumbalalaika is a Russian Jewish folk and love song in the Yiddish language. Tuml is the Yiddish word for noise and a balalaika is a stringed musical instrument of Russian origin.  (Wikipedia)

A Balalaika (Taken From Wikipedia)

This love story is about a smart young lad who wants to get married and he wants to choose a smart girl to be his bride as well. So, he stays up late at night, inventing riddles to test his bride.

Here’s a video of the song in its original language:

As a matter of fact, there are more riddles that weren’t sung out in the video and here are the missing riddles:

What is higher than a house?

What is swifter than a mouse?

What is deeper than a well?

What is bitter, more bitter than gall?

***

A chimney is higher than a house

A cat is swifter than a mouse

The Torah is deeper than a well

Death is bitter, more bitter than gall

“Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers.” ~ Voltaire

Have fun reading this post!

Till then,

Cheers & TTFN~

😉