The Black Grouse Rumbled lyrics and meaning

Tetervins subilda, oi dza dza,
Žaliojoj girelėj, oi dza dza.

Kelkis sūnaitėli, oi dza dza,
Ryto kuo ankščiausiai, oi dza dza.

Ryto kuo ankščiausiai, oi dza dza.
Junk palšus jautelius, oi dza dza,

Junk palšus jautelius, oi dza dza,
Ark lygius laukelius oi dza dza.

Ark lygius laukelius, oi dza dza
Sėk gelsvus grūdelius, oi dza dza.

Atein motinėlė, oi dza dza
Atneš pusrytėlį, oi dza dza.

The Black Grouse Rumbled: song interpretation

This song with the refrain "oi dza dza" can be understood as an agricultural work song. At the beginning, in the green forest, the black grouse rumbles. The grouse's sound can be interpreted as a sign of early morning or dawn.

Then the son is urged to rise as early as possible, yoke the gray oxen, plow the level fields, and sow yellow grain. These images can be understood as the sequence of spring field work.

At the end the mother comes and brings breakfast. This image can be interpreted as maternal care accompanying hard labor. That is one possible meaning, but the motif of agricultural work and the mother's care is clear.

The Black Grouse Rumbled: symbols and phrases

Rumbling black grouse
The grouse sounding in the forest. It marks early morning, the sign of dawn.
"Rise, son, as early as possible"
The call to rise early for work. It marks the beginning of the farmer's day.
Yoking oxen, plowing, sowing
Harnessing the oxen, plowing the fields, and sowing grain. They mark spring field work.
Mother with breakfast
The mother bringing breakfast to the field. She marks the care that accompanies labor.

The Black Grouse Rumbled: song history

"The Black Grouse Rumbled" belongs to work songs, specifically plowing songs: the grouse sounding in the forest marks early morning, and the son is urged to rise as early as possible, yoke the gray oxen, plow the level fields, and sow yellow grain. The refrain "oi dza dza" accompanying every line sustains the rhythm of a song sung with work, while the stepped repetition leads through the sequence of field tasks.

The exact place and time of recording are not stated on this page, so the song is presented according to genre features; motifs of plowing, sowing, and the mother bringing breakfast are typical of spring work songs. Variants of such songs exist in different Lithuanian regions.

sources

  • Lietuvių liaudies dainynas, t. 1-23, Vilnius 1980-2011 (LLTI)
  • Lietuvių liaudies dainų katalogas, 6 t., Vilnius 1972-1986

The Black Grouse Rumbled: sources