Hey, Little Soldiers lyrics and meaning

Ukvei, žalnieriukai
Kokia vedum bus roda
Aja-ajoja kokia vedum bus roda

Jenerolas mandras buvo
Ans į prūsus išbėga
Aja-ajoja ans į prūsus išbėga

Vaikščiodamas po miestelį
Kūrian pypkę treboka
Aja-ajoja kūrian pypkę treboka

Kaip iššovė iš armotos (patranka)
Anam pypkė nulėkė
Aja-ajoja anam pypkė nulėkė

Kaip iššovė iš antrosios
Anam galvą nutraukė
Aja-ajoja anam galvą nutraukė

Jenerolai, mandras buvai
Kodėl pypkės nebrūka
Aja-ajoja kodėl pypkės nebrūka

Ką čia velnia berūkysi
Kad jau galvos nebėra
Aja-ajoja kad jau galvos nebėra

Hey, Little Soldiers: song interpretation

This song can be understood as a humorous, satirical soldiers' song. At the beginning the little soldiers ask what their council or plan will be, and the song then tells of a fancy general who ran off to Prussia. This image can be interpreted as mockery of a puffed-up commander.

The general walks around the town and lights a pipe of tobacco, but when a cannon fires his pipe flies off, and the second shot takes off his head. These images can be understood as the threat of war presented jokingly.

The ending mocks him: "General, why are you not packing the pipe?" The answer is, what the devil is there to smoke when the head is gone. This turn can be interpreted as satire that laughs at vanity and grim wartime reality. This is one possible meaning, but the satirical, mocking nature of the song is clear.

Hey, Little Soldiers: symbols and phrases

Little soldiers
The soldiers wondering what their plan will be. They mark the song's speaking side.
Fancy general
A puffed-up commander who has fled to Prussia. He signifies mocked pride.
Pipe and cannon
The calmly smoked pipe and the firing cannon create a comic contrast between ease and danger.
Severed head
The general's head taken by the shot marks grim wartime reality presented satirically.

Hey, Little Soldiers: song history

"Hey, Little Soldiers" is a satirical military-historical song in which the reality of war is presented by mocking a puffed-up commander. The fancy general, having fled to Prussia, calmly smokes his pipe, but cannon shots knock off the pipe and then take off his head; the final exchange, asking why he does not pack the pipe and answering that there is no smoking once the head is gone, joins black humor to grim wartime reality. This satirical look at officers, with the repeated "aja-ajoja" refrain, is characteristic of humorous military songs.

The exact place and time of recording are not given on this page, so the song is presented through genre features. Words such as "žalnieriukai," "jenerolas," "armota," and "treboka" show an old soldierly vocabulary, largely borrowed; the contrast between pipe smoking and cannon fire creates a comic yet biting mockery of war.

sources

  • Lietuvių liaudies dainynas, vols. 1-23, Vilnius 1980-2011 (LLTI)
  • D. Krištopaitė. Lietuvių karinės-istorinės dainos, Vilnius 1956

Hey, Little Soldiers: sources