Across Level Meadows lyrics and meaning
Per lygias lankas lietutis lijo,
Mūdras žalnierius vainelėn jojo.
Mūdras žalnierius vainelėn jojo.
Vai nustok lyjęs, skaudus lietuti,
Vai nustok jojęs, mūdras žalnieri.
Vai nustok jojęs, mūdras žalnieri.
Vai nustok jojęs, mūdras žalnieri,
Atsisveikinkie, tėvą, motina.
Atsisveikinkie, tėvą, motina.
Negaliu sustot, žirgo sustabdyt,
Mano žirgelis nesustabdomas.
Mano žirgelis nesustabdomas.
Mano žirgelis nesus tabdomas,
Mano širdelė nesutramdoma
Mano širdelė nesutramdoma
Per lygias lankas lietutis lijo,
Mūdras žalnierius vainelin jojo.
Mūdras žalnierius vainelin jojo.
Vai nustok lyjęs, skaudus lietuti,
Vai nustok jojęs, mūdras žalnieri.
Vai nustok jojęs, mūdras žalnieri.
Vai nustok jojęs, mūdras žalnieri,
Atsisveikinkie, brolį, sesule.
Atsisveikinkie, brolį, sesule.
Negaliu sustot, žirgo sustabdyt,
Mano žirgelis nesustabdomas.
Mano žirgelis nesustabdomas.
Mano žirgelis nesus tabdomas,
Mano širdelė nesutramdoma
Mano širdelė nesutramdoma
Per lygias lankas lietutis lijo,
Mūdras žalnierius vainelin jojo.
Mūdras žalnierius vainelin jojo.
Vai nustok lyjęs, skaudus lietuti,
Vai nustok jojęs, mūdras žalnieri.
Vai nustok jojęs, mūdras žalnieri.
Vai nustok jojęs, mūdras žalnieri,
Atsisveikinkie jauną mergelį.
Atsisveikinkie jauną mergelį.
Tai galiu sustot, žirgą sustabdyt,
Mano žirgelis, tai sustabdomas.
Mano žirgelis, tai sustabdomas.
Mano žirgelis, tai sustabdomas,
Mano širdelė, tai sutramdoma.
Mano širdelė, tai sutramdoma.
Per lygias lankas lietutis lijo,
Mūdras žalnierius vainelėn jojo.
Mūdras žalnierius vainelėn jojo.
Across Level Meadows: song interpretation
This song can be understood as a song about a soldier riding to war. At the beginning rain falls across level meadows, and a brave soldier rides to war. The rain can be read as a dark, sorrowful mood.
The soldier is then urged to stop riding and say farewell to his father and mother, then to his brother and sister, but he answers that he cannot stop the horse, because his horse cannot be stopped and his heart cannot be restrained. These images can be understood as an unavoidable, unstoppable departure.
At the end, when urged to say farewell to the young woman, the soldier answers that he can stop the horse and restrain his heart. This turn can be read as love's exceptional power, stronger than ties to parents and siblings. This is one possible meaning, but the motifs of departure for war and love are clear in the song.
Across Level Meadows: symbols and phrases
- Soldier riding to war
- The žalnierius, or soldier, departing for battle. He marks the movement into war.
- Rain
- The painful rain falling across the meadows. It marks a dark, sorrowful mood.
- "The horse cannot be stopped, the heart cannot be restrained"
- The unstoppable horse and heart. They mark the inevitability of departure.
- Stopping for the girl
- The soldier stops only to say farewell to the girl. This marks love's power above other ties.
Across Level Meadows: song history
"Across Level Meadows" belongs to military-historical songs about a soldier riding to war. The structure rests on a repeated refrain, rain falling over level meadows while the brave soldier rides to war, and on a gradual chain of farewells: the soldier is repeatedly urged to stop and say farewell to his parents, brother, and sister, but each time answers that he cannot stop the horse. Such stepped repetition with a fixed answer formula is characteristic of military songs.
The exact place and time of recording are not stated on this page, so the song is presented through genre features. The final turn, where only for the girl the horse "can be stopped" and the heart "can be restrained," places love above blood ties and forms the emotional climax of the song.
sources
- Lietuvių liaudies dainynas, vols. 1-23, Vilnius 1980-2011 (LLTI)
- D. Krištopaitė. Lietuvių karinės-istorinės dainos, Vilnius 1956
Across Level Meadows: sources
Across Level Meadows: frequently asked questions
What kind of song is this?
It is a military-historical song about a soldier riding to war and saying farewell to those close to him.
What is a žalnierius?
Žalnierius is an old word for a soldier, a hired/mercenary warrior, borrowed from Polish. In the song he rides to war.
Why does the horse stop only for the girl?
The soldier says he cannot stop for parents, brother, or sister, but for the young woman the horse and heart can be restrained. Love is placed above other ties.
What does the rain mean in the song?
The painful rain falling over level meadows creates a dark, sorrowful atmosphere parallel to the soldier's departure.