"" ("my clerk"), or "" ("while going to Üsküdar") is a Turkish folk song about someone's clerk (kâtip) as they travel to Üsküdar. The song takes the form of an Istanbul türküNilüfer Göle, The forbidden modern: civilization and veiling, p.60, 1996 "It was even the case that, during the Crimean War, Sultan Abdulmecid asked all his clerks to wear frock coats, which was mentioned later in the well-known "Katibim" song.". Many different songs with the same melody exist outside of Turkey, especially in the Balkans, with many different claims of origination for the tune.
Lyrics and score
Turkish English translationÜsküdar'a gider iken aldı da bir yağmur. Kâtibimin setresi uzun, eteği çamur. Kâtip uykudan uyanmış, gözleri mahmur.
Kâtip benim, ben kâtibin, el ne karışır? Kâtibime kolalı da gömlek ne güzel yaraşır!
Üsküdar'a gider iken bir mendil buldum. Mendilimin içine (de) lokum doldurdum. Kâtibimi arar iken yanımda buldum.
Kâtip benim, ben kâtibin, el ne karışır? Kâtibime kolalı da gömlek ne güzel yaraşır!On the way to Üsküdar, rain started to pour down. My clerk's frock coat is long, its skirt with mud. It seems the clerk just woke up, his eyes are languid.
The clerk belongs to me, I belong to the clerk, what is it to others? How handsome my clerk looks with starched shirts!
On the way to Üsküdar, I found a handkerchief. I filled the handkerchief with Turkish delight. As I was looking for my clerk, I found him next to me.
The clerk belongs to me, I belong to the clerk, what is it to others? How handsome my clerk looks with starched shirts!
Recordings
Recordings by Naftule Brandwein
The melody was imported to North America in the 1920s. The renowned klezmer clarinetist and self-proclaimed "King of Jewish music" Naftule Brandwein recorded a purely instrumental version with the title "Der Terk in America" in 1924.Liner notes for Naftule Brandwein, King of the Klezmer Clarinet, Rounder Records CD 1127, 1997. Brandwein was born in Peremyshliany (Polish Galicia, now Ukraine) and emigrated to the USA in 1909 where he had a very successful career in the early 1920s., in: Everybody's Song – Music as a tool for the promotion of diversity and intercultural understanding, Cyprus Neuroscience and Technology Institute, Nicosia, 2006-2008 (Project), Reinhard Eckert (Contact), Archived from original on December 10, 2015
Recordings by Safiye Ayla and similar versions A notable recording is that by Safiye Ayla from 1949., in: Everybody's Song – Music as a tool for the promotion of diversity and intercultural understanding, Cyprus Neuroscience and Technology Institute, Nicosia, 2006-2008 (Project), Reinhard Eckert (Contact), archived from original on December 10, 2015. During the time of recording, Ayla was also a member of the assembly at the Istanbul City Conservatory.Dorit Klebe (2004): The survival of an Ottoman-Turkish urban love song since an early documentary from 1902. Metamorphoses of a makam. Found in: Marianne Bröcker: The 20th century in the mirror of his songs. Writings of the Bamberg University Library, Volume 12, p85-116. Classical composer Saygun included 'Variations on the Old Istanbul Folk Song Katibim (Varyasyonlar)' as the last part of his choral Op.22 Bir Tutam Kekik of 1943. Similar compositions of Ayla's "Kâtibim" have followed it, including:
With lyrics, and incorporating an English adaptation by Stella Lee, in 1953 the song was recorded in the USA as "Uska Dara - A Turkish Tale / Two Lovers" by Eydie GorméThomas S. Hischak, The Tin Pan Alley Song Encyclopedia (2002), page 382: "'Uska Dara (A Turkish Tale)' (1953) is a spirited novelty number by Stella Lee that is adapted from a Turkish song sometimes titled 'Uskadara.' Although Eydie Gorme introduced the song with a successful record, the piece is most associated with Eartha Kitt, who sang it both in English and Turkish, had a bestselling disc, and kept it in her nightclub act for years. Kitt reprised the number in the movie New Faces (1954)." and Eartha Kitt.Rough Guide to Turkey, p.1043, Rosie Ayliffe, Marc Dubin, John Gawthrop - 2003 " Safiye Ayla's rendition of the famous Istanbul türkü "Katibim" (covered bizarrely by Eartha Kitt)" The interpretation of the internationally known vocal star Eartha Kitt, accompanied by an instrumental set, could be based on that of Safiye Ayla. Other modern composers such as Ali Darmar have also arranged the tune. A very early publication for the Central European region took place from around 1960 by the second volume of the series of the UNESCO Commission European Songs in the Origins, whose song notation for "Üsküdara gideriken" goes back to a written source from 1952. It shows striking similarities with the version sung by Ayla.
Movie adaptations Alongside Ayla, Zeki Müren's recording of Kâtibim was also very popular. Müren appeared as an actor in the 1968 film "Kâtip (Üsküdar'a Giderken)" directed by Ülkü Erakalın, in which his recording played an important role and which became very popular in Turkey and the Turkish diaspora.
Versions from around the world Many versions of the song can be found in countries neighboring Turkey and beyond, usually with entirely different lyrics. A documentary film entitled Whose is this song?Directed by Adela Peeva, Bulgaria, 2003. http://adelamedia.net/movies/whose-is-this-song.php and an international youth project called Everybody's Song documented many of these versions.
Europe
Albania: The tune in Albanian is titled , which has some variations by different artists. In 1993, the song was said to be a part of the repertoire in Albania, for example, of the Roma musicians who tried to revive it in the traditional Turkish way., in: Everybody's Song – Music as a tool for the promotion of diversity and intercultural understanding, Cyprus Neuroscience and Technology Institute, Nicosia, 2006-2008 (Project), Reinhard Eckert (Contact), archived from original on December 10, 2015. Bosnia and Herzegovina: The Bosnian adaptations of the song include a traditional Sevdalinka known as "Oj, djevojko Anadolko, budi moja ti", meaning "Oh Anatolian girl, be mine" and a Qasida called "Zašto suza u mom oku", meaning "Why are my eyes weeping?". Bulgaria: The melody comes in the form of a Bulgarian love song "Černi oči imaš libe" (Bulgarian: ) and as a hymn of resistance to the Ottoman Empire in the Strandzha Mountains ("Ясен месец веч изгрява : "Jasen mesec več izgrjava"). Greece: In Greece, the song is known under different names, including: ("Little trehantiri"), ("I lost a handkerchief"), ("In the Pope's strait"), ("Between Kythira"), ("From a foreign place"), ("From Athens to Pireas"), ("Vangelis"), and ("Eskoutari"). One of the best known Greek interpreters of the song is Glykeria. Hungary: Tamás Daróci Bárdos adapted the song with the title "Üszküdárá" North Macedonia: A performance of the Macedonian version of the song ("Ој Dеvојčе, Devojče") comes from the musician Toše Proeski (Тоше Проески), who was described by the BBC as "Elvis Presley of the Balkans", and who also worked as a UNICEF ambassador. A less known version of the song but one that more closely follows the original melody is Oj ti Paco Drenovčanke (Ој ти Пацо Дреновчанке). Romania: There is also a Romanian version of the song called "De ai ști, suflețelul meu" translated as "If you knew, my soul" collected and published by Anton Pann in the 1850s. Serbia (Formerly Yugoslavia): Kâtibim in the Serbian version is called "Ruse kose curo imaš" (Serbian:"Ај, русе косе цуро имаш") meaning "Blonde hair you have, girl", traditionally sung in southeastern Serbian dialect. During the 1950s, the song has also been featured in the popular Yugoslav film "Ciganka" (Serbian: "Циганка") meaning "Gypsy". There is another version in Serbian titled "Полетела два бијела голуба" meaning "Two white doves are flying" (recording from 1910)
Middle East
A multilingual version called "Fel Shara" exists, with lyrics in Arabic, French, Italian, Spanish and English. It was popularized by Gloria Levy, where it appeared as a track on her album "Sephardic Folk Songs". A traditional folk song in the Arab world with the same melody is known as "Ya Banat Iskandaria" (Arabic: "") meaning "Oh Girls of Alexandria". The song was later recorded by Lebanese Mohammed El-Bakkar around 1957 in his album named "Port Said". Another Arabic version of the Levantine folklore, mostly sung as part of the Aleppine genre, is "Ghazali Ghazali" (Arabic:"") meaning "My Gazelle". The melody is shared by "Talama Ashku Gharami" (Arabic: ""), a traditional Arabic poem or Qasida for Muhammad and is similar to the Hebrew piyut Yigdal. It is considered highly devotional to Muhammad. There is also another Arabic adaptation by Al Mulla Othman Al Mosuli named Ya Athouli la taloumni (يا عذولي لا تلمني).
South Asia Afghanistan: Another version of the melody is known from Afghanistan , which was sung by Uzbek singer Taaj Mohammad., in: Everybody's Song – Music as a tool for the promotion of diversity and intercultural understanding, Cyprus Neuroscience and Technology Institute, Nicosia, 2006-2008 (Projekt), Reinhard Eckert (Contact), archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Bangladesh: The Bengali adaptations of this tune known as "Tribhuboner Priyo Muhammad" (Bengali: ""), "Shukno Patar Nupur Paye" (Bengali: "") and "Rumjhum Jhum Jhum" (Bengali: ) in 1935s were composed by the national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. It is thought that he learned the melody while he was fighting in the Middle East during World War I. "Tri-vuboner priyo Muhammad" is an Islamic Song about Muhammad. On the contrary, the song "Shukno Patar Nupur Paye" incorporated an inspirational theme of celebrating spontaneity which the young have and the old lack. In the song he appreciates how a young girl moves like a whirlwind and smiles like the shimmering ripples of water. The song "Rumjhum Jhum Jhum" praises the monsoon rain of Bengal. In 2026, Coke Studio Bangla mashed up the Turkish-language song "Üsküdar'a Gider İken" with Nazrul's Bengali-language song "Room Jhoom" as the debut song of the franchise's 4th season. Pakistan: A Turkish-Urdu mash-up version titled "Ishq Kinara - Üsküdar'a Gider Iken" was performed on the Pakistani television program Coke Studio by Sumru Ağıryürüyen and Zoe Vicajji in 2013.Hyatt, Rohail. "Ishq Kinara - Üsküdar'a Gider Iken. Sumru Ağıryürüyen, Zoe Vicajji ", Published on 21 December 2013. Retrieved on 20 August 2015. India: In the 1956 Indian film Taj, there is a Hindi-language song titled "Jhoom Jhoom Kar Chali Akeli" by Hemanta Mukherjee, which has similarity with Katibim. In the 2012 Indian film Agent Vinod there is a Hindi-language song titled "I'll Do the Talking"; the song is a partial interpolation of "Rasputin". Kâtibim's original tune is easily guessed in this song.
Southeast Asia
Indonesia: The melody of this song is used for Banser march, with modified lyrics. Malaysia and Singapore: (A Beautiful Morning) in Ali Baba Bujang Lapok is a song originally tuned from "Kâtibim".
Miscellaneous
Camille Saint-saens quotes the melody in the second section of his "Souvenir d'Ismaïlia" Op. 100
Modern adaptations
Loreena McKennitt's studio album An Ancient Muse (2006) has a track named "Sacred Shabbat", which has the same tune as Kâtibim.The initial printing of the liner notes in 2006 erroneously attributed the song (instead of the arrangement) to Loreena McKennitt, but this was corrected subsequently: see Quinlan Road discussion forum . Jamaican artist Ken Boothe recorded the song as "Artibella". Kadebostany remade the song as "Maybe The War Is Over" (2013). Pink Martini's studio album Get Happy (2013) contains a version of this song. Sami Yusuf's album Barakah (2016) has a track called "I Only Knew Love ('Araftul Hawa)" is also based on a similar tune. The third movement of Fazil Say's violin concerto "1001 Nights in the Harem" heavily quotes the tune.