Dear Mother of Mine lyrics and meaning
Močiute mano miela
Širdela mano miela
Mielai mane užauginai
Nemielai pažadėjai
Pažadėjai našleliui
Kurio maži vaikeliai
Maži jojo vaikužėliai
Dideli ten varge(liai)
Kai aš ėjau per dvarelį
Su savuoju našlaliu
Liūdnas mano našlužėlis
Liūdna mano širdel(ė)
Močiute mano miela
Širdela mano miela
Mielai mane užauginai
Ir mielai pažadėjai
Pažadėjai berneliui
Kurio seni tėveliai
Seni jojo tėvužėliai
Maži ten vargeliai
Kai aš ėjau per dvarelį
Su savuoju beneliu
Linksmas mano bernužėlis
Linksma mano širdelė
Meaning
This song can be understood as weighing two different marriages. At the beginning, the daughter addresses her dear mother, saying that the mother raised her lovingly but promised her unlovingly. This reproach can be interpreted as a complaint about an unsuitable husband.
The first part tells of a promise to a widower who has small children and great troubles. Walking across the manor with the widower, the widower is sad and the young woman's heart is sad. These images can be understood as the hard lot of marrying a widower with small children.
The second part repeats the beginning, but now says that the mother lovingly promised her to a young man whose parents are old and whose troubles are small. Walking with the young man, he is joyful and the young woman's heart is joyful. This contrast can be interpreted as a comparison of two marriages, where the choice of a young man brings happiness. This is one possible meaning, but the motif of weighing two marriages is clear in the song.
Symbols
- Promise to a widower
- The daughter's betrothal to a widower with small children. It marks a difficult, unwanted lot.
- Small children, great troubles
- The widower's small children and large burdens. They mark the weight of becoming a stepmother.
- Promise to a young man with old parents
- Betrothal to a young man whose parents are old and whose troubles are small. It marks the happier choice.
- Joyful heart
- The joy of walking with the young man. It marks the happiness of a good marriage.
History
"Močiute mano miela" belongs to family songs that portray a daughter's fate in marriage and the mother's role in determining her lot. The song is made of two parallel parts: in the first, the daughter reproaches her mother for having "unlovingly promised" her to a widower with small children; in the second, for having "lovingly promised" her to a young man. The same stanza with changed words, unlovingly/lovingly, widower/young man, sad/joyful, creates a sharp opposition.
The exact place and time of recording are not given on this page, so the song is presented according to genre features. The core is the contrast between two marriages: marrying a widower with small children means the burden of another person's children and a hard lot, while marriage to a young man means joy. Such opposition is typical of family songs about suitable and unsuitable spouses.
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
Dear Mother of Mine: what kind of song is this?
It is a family song weighing two different marriages for a daughter: to a widower with small children and to a young man.
Why does the daughter reproach her mother?
She says that her mother "raised her lovingly, but promised her unlovingly." It is a complaint about the choice of an unsuitable husband.
What does "small children, great troubles" mean?
It refers to the widower's young children, who become the married daughter's burden as another person's children and a sign of a hard lot.
Why does the song repeat twice?
The parallel structure, with changed words, creates contrast: the first part is sad, with the widower; the second joyful, with the young man. Thus two marriages are compared.