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Green Copper lyrics and meaning

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Kas tavi šaukia, žalio vario Kas tavi šaukia, žalio vario Ponai broliai didei draugei, Ponai broliai didei draug. Ko jūs ponai norit, žalio vario, Ko jūs ponai norit, žalio vario, Ponai broliai didei draugei Ponai broliai didei draug. Vyrelio norim, žalio vario, Vyrelio norim, žalio vario, Ponai broliai didei draugei Ponai broliai didei draug.. O kas atvers vartus, žalio vario, O kas atvers vartus, žalio vario, Ponai broliai didei draugei. Ponai broliai didei draug. Mes atversim vartus žalio vario Mes atversim vartus žalio vario Ponai broliai didei draugei. Ponai broliai didei draug. Atverkit vartus, žalio vario, Atverkit vartus, žalio vario, Ponai broliai didei draugei. Ponai broliai didei draug. Važiuokit sveiki, žalio vario Važiuokit sveiki, žalio vario Ponai broliai didei draugei. Ponai broliai didei draug.

Second version

Kas tave šaukia, žalio vario? x2 Ponai broliai didi drauge. x2 Ko jūs ponai norit, žalio vario? Ponai broliai didi drauge. Vyrelio norim, žalio vario Ai kas atvers vartus, žalio vario?.. Mes atversim vartus, žalio vario Atverkit vartus, žalio vario Važiuokit sveiki, žalio vario

Meaning

This song with the refrain "žalio vario" can be understood as a wedding gate-ritual song. At the beginning, the song asks who is calling, and the answer is the lords, brothers, and the great company. This address can be interpreted as the arriving wedding party.

Then the song asks what the lords want, and they answer that they want a husband. This answer can be understood as the declared purpose of the wedding visit.

At the end, a dialogue unfolds over who will open the gates; the gates are to be opened, and the arriving party is invited to go in safely. The gate opening can be interpreted as a wedding reception ritual in which the arriving party is symbolically admitted through the gates. That is one possible meaning, but the wedding gate-ritual character of the song is clear.

Symbols

Refrain "žalio vario"
The refrain accompanying every stanza. It marks the song's structure and rhythm.
Lords, brothers, great company
The arriving wedding party. They mark the matchmakers and groom's escort.
"We want a husband"
The stated goal of the arrivals. It marks the marriage purpose.
Opening the gates
The dialogue over who will open the gates and the invitation to go in. It marks the wedding reception ritual.

History

"Green Copper," with its repeated refrain "žalio vario," belongs to wedding songs accompanying the gate ritual. The whole song is arranged as a question-and-answer dialogue between the arriving party and the household: "who is calling," "what do you lords want," "who will open the gates." This dialogic structure is typical of greeting and admission songs performed at the gates.

The exact place and date of recording are not given on this page, so the song is presented through its genre features. The arriving party (lords, brothers, great company) declares its goal, "we want a husband," and negotiates the opening of the gates. This reflects the dramaturgy of wedding ritual, where the groom's party's arrival is confirmed through the symbolic gate-opening rite. The refrain "green copper" sustains the rhythm and binds the stanzas together.

Sources