# Unknown language: Yoi da adash



## mazzymaybe

Could someone translate a phrase from a song for me?  It's from "Little Drummer Boy". The phrase is "Yoi da adash".  I can't find an online dictionary that will translate it.  It maybe isn't even Hebrew.  Any help is appreciated!  It's just one of those things that will bother me until I find out!


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## Nunty

Hi mazzy 

I'm not sure that's Hebrew. Do you mean the song that goes "Come, they told me, pa-rum-pa-pum, A newborn king to see, pa-rum-pa-pum"? Where do these words come in?


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## mazzymaybe

Yes, that's the correct song.

I've found many different artist's that use this version.  I copied this from Joan Jett's lyrics.


Yoi da adash, pa rum pa pum pum 
The ass and lamb kept time, pa rum pa pum pum 

Other versions use the following lyrics in the last verse--

Mary nodded, pa rum pa pum pum 
The ass and lamb kept time, pa rum pa pum pum 

I'm just curious as to what it means, and why that phrase is the only Hebrew or other language used.  If it only means, "Mary nodded", then why not say, "Mary nodded"?!

Thanks for your response!


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## Nunty

Thank you, Mazzy. It really wasn't necessary to quote the entire lyric and, in fact, it's against the forum rules to quote more than four lines. So don't be surprised when a moderator comes along and edits your post. Or you could beat them to it and edit it yourself. 

Now, as to your actual question... No, that doesn't seem to be Hebrew. You might want to re-post your question in Other Languages -- with only a couple of lines quoted, of course.


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## mazzymaybe

Oops!  Sorry!  Thanks for the information!


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## Aoyama

Could be Greek ...
*Yoi da* could remotedly be ... Japanese (= it's nice, pretty, from yo-i and da /desu), but I don't think it is, and *adash* means nothing in Japanese. It could/should be *hadash* in Hebrew (= new, masculine).


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## mazzymaybe

I wonder if I'll ever figure this out!?  Thanks for your input!


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