Lithuanian folk songs

Lithuanian family songs

50 songs in this genre

Lithuanian family songs examine the closest bonds and their loss: a mother and daughter part, siblings remember one another, an orphan seeks protection, or a young wife describes life among her husband's relatives. Personal sorrow becomes a shared language through which a community could speak about dependency, duty, tenderness, and unequal power within the household.

This collection contains 50 songs with original Lithuanian lyrics and English context. Each guide identifies the family relationship and situation at its centre, rather than treating every lament or domestic image as the same kind of song.

A Little Oak Grew in the Forest

A Little Oak Grew in the Forest Lithuanian family song: English context on children growing, oak, linden, soldier, ploughman, weaver, and FAQ.

A Little Thistle Grew in the Yard

A Little Thistle Grew in the Yard Lithuanian orphan song: lost mother, household labor, thistle branches, and English context.

A Small Beautiful Bird Flew

A Small Beautiful Bird Flew Lithuanian family lament: English context on bird and girl parallelism, father loss, dark cloud, black garment, and FAQ.

Across the Green Rye Field

Across the Green Rye Field Lithuanian orphan lament: green rye, forest birds, father under gray earth, nine nights, candles, and FAQ.

Across the Guelder-Rose Branch

Across the Guelder-Rose Branch Lithuanian family song: daughter married far away, cuckoo transformation, brother's recognition, and FAQ.

At Father's Estate

At Father's Estate Lithuanian folk song: orphan girl, golden dew, linden tree, rue wreath, tears, family-song context, and FAQ.

At My Father's House

At My Father's House Lithuanian family song: cherry orchards, five tables, relatives, neighbors, conversation, and kinship warmth.

At the End of the Granary

At the End of the Granary Lithuanian family song: daughter-in-law and mother-in-law conflict, golden oriole, cherry garden, and husband as defender.

Beneath the Little Window

Beneath the Little Window: Lithuanian family ballad of a drowned young man, a young widow, orphans, and fidelity.

Beside the Road

Beside the Road Lithuanian family song: wondrous jovaras, kanklės at the roots, bees, falcons, brothers riding, and world-tree family symbolism.

Dawn Breaking

Lithuanian dawn song from Juška tradition about a mother, daughter, high hill, grave imagery, possible bridal reading, symbols, and FAQ.

Dear Mother of Mine

Dear Mother of Mine Lithuanian family song: two marriage choices, widower with children, young man, sorrow and joy, and FAQ.

Do Not Scold Me, Do Not Beat Me

Do Not Scold Me, Do Not Beat Me Lithuanian family song: married woman's plea, birth family, blocked paths, and resilience.

Dolijute Dolija

Dolijute Dolija Lithuanian family song: riderless horse, sister's question, brother's death, stars, winds, and English context.

Father Went Away

Father Went Away Lithuanian orphan song: cruel stepmother, dead mother at the grave, combing hair, white shirt, girdle, and coming of age.

Fires Burn Beyond the Lake

Lithuanian orphan lament: fires and sparks beyond the lake, falling tears, cuckoo consolation, garden without dove, forest without cuckoo.

Green Fallow Fields

Green Fallow Fields Lithuanian orphan lament: mother under linden, father under oak, sister and brother orphans, graves, bark, dew, and longing.

I Grew Up in the Village

I Grew Up in the Village Lithuanian family song: English context on married daughter, cuckoo, overgrown paths, mother, longing, and return.

I Traveled Day and Night

I Traveled Day and Night Lithuanian Dzūkian orphan song: green meadow, hay rake, weeping girl, gray earth, dead parents, and life's refusal.

I Walk Through the Manor Yard

I Walk Through the Manor Yard Lithuanian orphan song: trees asked to replace family, oak, linden, birch, currant, and context.

I Will Go Away

I Will Go Away Lithuanian Samogitian family song: alien home, black bread, suffering girl, reed on water, and separation.

If I Had Many Daughters

If I Had Many Daughters Lithuanian family song: English context on sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, mother-in-law tensions, and FAQ.

In the Dark Night

In the Dark Night Lithuanian family song: howling wolves, stepped repetition, true fear, separation from father, and context.

It Has Been Long

It Has Been Long Lithuanian family song: English context on overgrown paths, longing to return, kinship, cumulative structure, and FAQ.

Let Us Go, Brothers

Let Us Go, Brothers Lithuanian orphan song: sutartinė-like refrain, forest rain, oak and linden, branches, leaves, and lost parents.

Lioj Saudai, Evening

Quiet Lithuanian family song with evening refrain, mother laid on white bedding, sleeping, mint planted beside her, memory, and life.

Mėtaujėla Mėtaujo

Mėtaujėla Mėtaujo Lithuanian orphan lament: poor orphan, lost treasure, grief, no shelter, branched tree, cold stone, and refrain.

My Head Hurts

Lithuanian cumulative love and family song asking for spring water from father, mother, siblings, and finally the beloved.

Oh Sun, Dear Sun

Oh Sun, Dear Sun Lithuanian family lyric: sun beyond the seas, brother on the road, grief carried to a high hill, and FAQ.

Oh, Far Away

Oh, Far Away Lithuanian family song: English context on kin beyond the clouds, longing for father, messenger, distance, and FAQ.

Oh, You Peony

Oh, You Peony Lithuanian family song: daughter-in-law and mother-in-law, peony, rue garden, whip, spinning, weaving, and childhood contrast.

Poor Little Orphan

Poor Little Orphan Lithuanian family song: orphan lament, cuckoo on the grave maple, dead father, brother-in-law, and birch switches.

Rue, Green Rue

Rue, Green Rue Lithuanian family song: rue planted wrongly, barren hills, old widower, young man, unhappy marriage, and FAQ.

Sister, Let Us Cut Rye

Sister, Let Us Cut Rye Lithuanian orphan song: rye harvest, rain, linden tree, lost sister, refrain, and grief nature cannot replace.

The Linden Had

The Linden Had Lithuanian family song: linden with nine branches, storm, cuckoo, mother with nine daughters, matchmakers, and emptying home.

The Little Firefly Flowed

Brief Lithuanian family song about a firefly circling the father's manor, a daughter married far beyond deep waters, and recognition.

The Little Sun Is Setting

The Little Sun Is Setting Lithuanian family song: English context on married daughter's longing, mother, mother-in-law, bitter and sweet dew.

The Little Sun Rises

Lithuanian family song paralleling the sun counting stars with a mother counting daughters and missing the eldest worker.

The Paths Have Closed

The Paths Have Closed Lithuanian family song: overgrown roads, married daughter, cuckoo feathers, mother's window, no return, and FAQ.

The Son Spent the Night

The Son Spent the Night Lithuanian family song: English context on dream interpretation, cuckoo, falcon, spirits, death omen, and FAQ.

The Sun Has Set (Orphan Song)

The Sun Has Set Lithuanian orphan song: lost orphan, graveyard, dead mother, cruel stepmother, combing hair, shirt, and curse.

The Two of Us Together

The Two of Us Together Lithuanian family song: English context on shared work, linden wood, bed, cradle, child, and household making.

The Wind Blew

The Wind Blew Lithuanian family song: English context on oak, wind, father, son, psychological parallelism, and leaving home.

Then It Set

Then It Set Lithuanian family song: sunset, girl at table, green rue, maidenhood, women's cares, singing in garden, and cradle.

Three Oaks in the Yard

Lithuanian family song with tuto betuto refrain: three oaks as brothers, three lindens as sisters, horse and dowry divided.

Two Brothers Wrote a Letter

Two Brothers Wrote a Letter Lithuanian family song: English context on mother, sister, brothers, letter, hardship, river crossing, and return.

What Is Rumbling

What Is Rumbling Lithuanian family song: father visits married daughter, father-in-law, clover refrain, obedience, and FAQ.

When I Lived with Mother

When I Lived with Mother Lithuanian family song: English context on daughter-in-law hardship, mother-in-law, towel, apron, and oriole.

Who Walked Through My Garden

Lithuanian family song about a harmonious homestead: father with bees, mother with linen, sister with rue, God with rye, and FAQ.

Whoever Wants to Be Free

Whoever Wants to Be Free Lithuanian family song: ironic warning about marrying a forester, tavern drinking, night riding, and anxious waiting.