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Godmother, Do Not Scare the Dove lyrics and meaning

On this page
Uoj kūmai kūmai, Nebaidyk karvelio Mano karvelis Tau škadų nedaro /2×2 Mano karvelis Tau škadų nedaro Mano karvelis Po du grūdu lesa /2×2 Mano karvelis Po du grūdu lesa Mano karvelis Po du kiaušu deda /2×2 Mano karvelis Po du kiaušu deda Mano karvelis Po du vaiku veda /2×2

Meaning

This song can be understood as a playful teasing song about a dove. At the beginning the singer addresses the kūma and asks her not to scare the dove, because the dove does no harm. This request can be read as defending a beloved creature.

The song then moves through cumulative, doubled images: the dove pecks two grains, lays two eggs, and raises two young. These images can be understood as playful exaggeration, moving from feeding to reproduction.

The doubled images may be read as an element of humor and riddle-like play. This is one possible meaning, but the playful, cumulative character of the song is clear.

Symbols

Dove
The dove being protected from being scared. It marks a loved and guarded creature.
Scaring kūma
The kūma, or godmother/co-mother, who scares the dove. She marks the threat to the beloved creature.
"Does no harm"
The defense of the dove's innocence. It justifies protecting the creature.
"Two grains, two eggs, two young"
Doubled images of feeding, laying, and raising young. They mark playful cumulative exaggeration.

History

"Godmother, Do Not Scare the Dove" belongs to playful, teasing children's songs with a cumulative chain structure. Addressing the kūma, the singer asks her not to scare the dove because it "does no harm," and then each stanza repeats the last line of the previous one and adds a new doubled image: the dove pecks two grains, lays two eggs, and raises two young. Such stepwise repetition and playful exaggeration are characteristic of children's and game songs.

The exact place and time of this recording are not stated on the page, so the song is presented through genre features. The repeated number two, moving from eating to breeding, creates a riddle-like and comic element, while the stepped structure makes the song easy to remember and sing in a group.

Sources