Across the Green Rye Field lyrics and meaning
Ėjau per lauką --- žali rugučiai,
Ėjau per antrą --- žalia giružė,-
Čiulba girios paukšteliai
Ramin mano širdelę. /2×2
Čiulbat, nečiulbat, girios paukšteliai,
Nenuraminsit mano širdelės,-
Aš neturiu tėvelio,
Aš neturiu širdelės. /2×2
Oi toli toli, mano tėvelis,
Oi toli toli, mano senasis,-
Ant aukštojo kalnelio
Po sierąja žemele. /2×2
Devynias naktis miego nemigau,
Devynias liktis lyg sužibinau,-
Tėvelio belaukdamas,
Širdelės belaukdamas. /2×2
(po to dainuojama apie motulę, brolelį, sesulę)
Meaning
This song can be understood as an orphan's lament for a dead father. At the beginning, the singer walks through a field of green rye and through a green forest where little birds sing, as if soothing the heart. Yet this calm is only apparent.
The speaker answers that whether the forest birds sing or not, they will not soothe the heart, because the speaker has neither father nor heart. It is then revealed that the father is far away, on a high hill under the gray earth, that is, buried. This image can be interpreted as a direct naming of the father's death.
The singer tells of nine sleepless nights and nine candles lit while waiting for the father and the heart. This vigil can be understood as a sign of deep mourning and inconsolable longing. The song then continues about mother, brother, and sister, so the lament extends to all close kin. This is one possible meaning, but the motif of orphanhood and grief is clear in the song.
Symbols
- Green rye and forest
- The fields and forest through which the singer walks. They form a background of journey and solitude.
- Forest birds
- Singing birds that seem to soothe the heart. Their consolation remains fruitless.
- Father under the gray earth
- The father buried on the hill. This directly names death and loss.
- Nine nights and candles
- Sleepless nights and lit candles. They mark deep mourning and vigil while waiting for the dead.
History
"Across the Green Rye Field" belongs to family songs, more precisely to orphan laments in which the loss of parents and close kin is mourned. Such songs characteristically use the image of a journey, here walking through fields and forest, the motif of nature's consoling but fruitless comfort, and a sequential naming of relatives. The ending of this song, where after the father the song continues about mother, brother, and sister, is a typical chain structure of orphan songs.
The specific place and time of recording are not given on this page, so the song is presented according to genre features; variants of orphan laments have been recorded in various Lithuanian regions. The repetition of the number nine, "nine nights" and "nine candles," is a common folk-song formula of abundance and mourning, while the father "under the gray earth" directly names death.
Sources
- Lietuvių liaudies dainynas, t. 1–23, Vilnius 1980–2011 (LLTI)
- Lietuvių liaudies dainų katalogas, 6 t., Vilnius 1972–1986
- Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia: Lithuanian folk songs
- Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia: family songs
- LLTI: Lithuanian Folk Songbook
Common questions
Across the Green Rye Field: what kind of song is this?
It is a family song, an orphan's lament for a dead father and other close relatives.
What does "under the gray earth" mean?
It is a direct naming of death: the father is not merely far away, but buried under the earth on a hill, in the cemetery.
Why do the forest birds fail to soothe the heart?
Nature's comfort is only apparent in the song. Birdsong cannot replace the lost father, so the consolation remains fruitless.
What do the nine nights and nine candles mark?
The number nine is a common folk-song formula of abundance. Here it intensifies the image of sleepless nights, vigil, and deep mourning.