If I Had Many Daughters lyrics and meaning
Kad aš dukrelių daug turėčia,
O ma žentelių užderėtų.
Mane ženteliai tai mylėtų,
Per dvarelį einant palydėtų.
Eikie, uošvele, kad nepultum
Ir mane jauną, kad mylėtum.
Kad aš sūnelių daug turėčia,
O ma martelių užderėtų
Mane martelės tai mylėtų
Per dvarelį einant pastūmėtų
Pulk, anytėle, kad nekeltum
Ir mane jauną kad nebartum.
Second version
Kad aš dukrelių daug turėčia,
Tai man žentelių užderėtų.
Mane ženteliai tai mylėtų ---
Per dvarelį einant palydėtų.
Eik, anytėla, kad nepultum
Ir mani jaunų, kad mylėtum.
Kad aš sūnelių daug turėčia,
Tai man martelių užderėtų.
Mane martelės tai mylėtų
Per dvarelį einant pastūmėtų *
Pulk, anytėla, kad nekeltum
Ir mani jauną, kad nebartum.
Kitoje versijoje antras stulpelis baigiasi, kaip ir pirmas.
Meaning
This song can be understood as a song about unequal kinship relations with sons-in-law and daughters-in-law. At the beginning, the singer imagines having many daughters so that many sons-in-law would come. The sons-in-law are imagined as loving the mother-in-law and escorting her through the manor. This image can be interpreted as a warm relation between son-in-law and mother-in-law.
In contrast, the singer imagines having many sons so that many daughters-in-law would come. But the daughters-in-law are imagined not as escorting the older woman, but as pushing the mother-in-law through the manor. This contrast can be understood as the tense relation between daughter-in-law and mother-in-law, common in folk songs.
The phrases "go, mother-in-law, so you do not fall" and "fall, mother-in-law, so you do not rise" sharpen the opposition between love and lack of love. The song can be understood as a reflection on the different behavior of sons-in-law and daughters-in-law toward the older woman. This is one possible meaning, but the motif of kinship tensions is clear in the song.
Symbols
- Sons-in-law
- The imagined husbands of daughters, loving and escorting the mother-in-law. They signify a warm kinship tie.
- Daughters-in-law
- The wives of sons, shown pushing the mother-in-law. They signify a tense relation with the older woman.
- Mother-in-law roles
- The older woman appears as mother-in-law to a son-in-law and to a daughter-in-law. The song contrasts these different kinship fates.
- Escorting and pushing
- Opposite actions while passing through the manor. They mark the contrast between love and lack of love.
History
"If I Had Many Daughters" belongs to family songs that consider marriage kinship ties: relations between son-in-law and mother-in-law, daughter-in-law and mother-in-law. The song is built on a strict opposition: an imagined loving son-in-law escorts the mother-in-law through the manor, while an unloving daughter-in-law pushes her. Such binary enumeration in parallel stanzas is characteristic of family-lot songs.
The exact place and time of recording are not given on this page, so the song is presented by genre traits. Tension between daughter-in-law and mother-in-law is one of the most frequent motifs in Lithuanian family songs; here it is expressed through a brief, ironic comparison with the relation between son-in-law and mother-in-law.
Sources
- Lietuvių liaudies dainynas, vols. 1-23, Vilnius 1980-2011 (LLTI)
- Catalogue of Lithuanian Folk Songs, 6 vols., Vilnius 1972-1986
- Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia: Lithuanian folk songs
- Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia: family songs
- LLTI: Lithuanian Folk Songbook
Common questions
If I Had Many Daughters: what kind of song is this?
It is a family song about unequal kinship ties, contrasting a loving son-in-law with a tense daughter-in-law and mother-in-law relation.
Why are sons-in-law and daughters-in-law compared?
The song is built on opposition: sons-in-law escort the mother-in-law, while daughters-in-law push her, showing different kinship fortunes.
What do escorting and pushing through the manor mean?
They are opposite actions that mark the contrast between affection and hostility in the behavior of sons-in-law and daughters-in-law.
Who are uošvė and anyta?
They are two positions of the older woman as mother-in-law: mother-in-law to a son-in-law and mother-in-law to a daughter-in-law. The song contrasts the relations she experiences.