At the End of the Granary lyrics and meaning
Galan svirno vyšnių sodas,
Galan svirno vyšnių sodas,
Tam sodelį volungelė
Tai ji gražiai užgrajino.
Tai ji gražiai užgrajino,
Jaunų marčių pribudino.
Kelkis, marčia, nemiegoki,
Kelkis ,marčia, nemiegoki,
Jau anyta atsikėlė.
Jau anyta atsikėlė,
Jau anyta atsikėlė.
Tavi jaunų apkalbėjo.
Tegul kalba, kaip išmano,
Tegul kalba, kaip išmano,
Puikus mano bernužėlis.
Puikus mano bernužėlis,
Puikus mano bernužėlis,
Subars savo motinėlę.
Kad ji daugiau nekalbėtų,
Kad ji daugiau nekalbėtų,
ir valalės neturėtų
At the End of the Granary: song interpretation
This song can be understood as a daughter-in-law's song about conflict with her mother-in-law and the hope that her husband will defend her. At the beginning, at the end of the granary in a cherry orchard, a golden oriole plays or sings beautifully and wakes the young daughter-in-law. The bird's song is a wakener that opens the day's concerns.
The young wife is urged to rise and not sleep, because the mother-in-law has already risen and has spoken against her, the young one. This image can be read as the tension between daughter-in-law and mother-in-law, a frequent theme in folk songs, where the young wife feels wronged in a household that is not her own.
The daughter-in-law answers that the mother-in-law may speak as she understands, because her fine young husband will scold his mother so that she will no longer speak or have authority. This confidence can be understood as the hope that the husband will take his wife's side against his mother. That is one possible reading, but the conflict between daughter-in-law and mother-in-law is clear.
At the End of the Granary: symbols and phrases
- Golden oriole
- The oriole singing in the cherry garden wakes the daughter-in-law. It is a wakener that opens the day's worries.
- Daughter-in-law and mother-in-law
- The young wife and the mother-in-law who speaks against her form the song's main conflict.
- Young husband
- The daughter-in-law's husband is expected to scold his mother. He is hope and defender within the family conflict.
- Authority
- The mother-in-law's power in the household, which the young wife hopes she will lose. It marks a struggle for place within the home.
At the End of the Granary: song history
"At the End of the Granary" belongs to family songs dealing with relations between a daughter-in-law and a mother-in-law, one of the most common themes in Lithuanian folk song. Such songs often oppose the young daughter-in-law to the mother-in-law who wrongs or slanders her, include a bird as a wakener, here the golden oriole, and express the hope that the husband will stand with his wife. The repeated stanza structure, in which each line is sung twice, is a common singing form.
No exact recording place or time is given on this page, so the song is presented by genre traits; variants of daughter-in-law and mother-in-law songs are abundant across Lithuania. The cherry garden at the end of the granary and the beautifully singing oriole create an idyllic setting in which family tension soon appears.
sources
- Lietuvių liaudies dainynas, vols. 1-23, Vilnius 1980-2011 (LLTI)
- Catalogue of Lithuanian Folk Songs, 6 vols., Vilnius 1972-1986
At the End of the Granary: sources
At the End of the Granary: frequently asked questions
What kind of song is this?
It is a family song about conflict between a young daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law, and the wife's hope that her husband will defend her.
Why does the song begin with the oriole?
The oriole in the cherry garden is a wakener: it rouses the young daughter-in-law and opens the day's worries, which soon prove to be family tension.
What does it mean that the mother-in-law has "spoken against" the daughter-in-law?
It means she has slandered or gossiped about the young wife. The wronged daughter-in-law in a new household is a common family-song theme.
What does "valalė" or authority mean here?
It is the mother-in-law's power in the family. The daughter-in-law wishes she would lose that power and no longer be able to harm her.