[TEVYE]
A fiddler on the roof sounds crazy, no?
He must be drinking 80 proof the way he plays these notes
And away he goes, silhouetted by the moon
He's just like you and me, tryna scratch out a simple tune
Without breaking our necks
How to expect what's next?
How do we use our talents
Without losing our balance?
Yo, dead in the middle of little Anatizzle
I got a riddle
How do we keep fiddlin' instead of fizzlin'?

[ENSEMBLE]
Tradition, tradition!
[TEVYE]
What? What? What?
[ENSEMBLE]
Tradition!
Tradition, tradition!
[TEVYE]
What? What?
[ENSEMBLE]
Tradition!

Yo and each decision is guarded by our traditions
Every sexual position, what we cook in our dishes
For instance, we got prayer shawls, keep our heads covered
To remind each other, God is always above us
Because of our traditions, our hearts remain true
[MAN]: How do these traditions start?
[?] no clue!
Ever since the beginning of Genesis and Leviticus
Everyone knows what it is and what he's supposed to do
You ready for the papas, y'all?
You ain't ready for the papas!

[PAPAS]
Who day and night must scramble for a living
Feed the wife and children, say his daily prayers
[TEVYE]: What?
And who has the right as master of the house
To have the final word at home?

[TEVYE]
Here come the mamas yo!

[MAMAS]
Who must know the way to make a proper home
A quiet home, a kosher home
Who must raise a family and run the home
So papa's free to read the holy book?

[TEVYE]
At three, I started Hebrew school
At ten, I learned a trade
I hear they picked a bride for me
I hope she's pretty

[MAMAS]
And who does mama teach
To mend and tend and fix
[TEVYE]: I have five daughters!
Preparing her to marry
Whoever papa picks
[TEVYE]
Yo!

[ENSEMBLE]
The papas! Mamas! Daughters! Sons!
Tradition!
The papas! Mamas! Daughters! Sons!
Tradition!

[TEVYE]
With our traditions
Everything's cool
The adults go to temple and the kids go to shul
Yeah, we keep it (?), follow every rule
There was the time he sold him a horse and gave him a mule

[ENSEMBLE - varying]
It was a horse! It was a mule!
It was a horse! It was a mule!
It was a horse! It was a mule!
It was a horse! It was a mule!
It was a horse! It was a mule!
Yo, yo, yo!

[ENSEMBLE]
Tradition, tradition!
Tradition!
Tradition, tradition!
Tradition!
[TEVYE]
And without 'em, we'd be as shaky as...

[ENSEMBLE]
Tradition!

[TEVYE]
And without 'em, we'd be as shaky as...

[ENSEMBLE]
Tradition!

[TEVYE]
And without 'em, we'd be as shaky as...

[ENSEMBLE]
Tradition!

[TEVYE]
A fiddler on the motherfuckin' roof!