In That Street, Under the Sycamore lyrics and meaning
Tuojoj ulycioj, po jovarelių
Verkė jauna mergelė, verkė jauna jaunoj
Uoj cit neverkie jauna mergele,
Ant atvažiuos tetušis, ant atvažiuos senasis,
Uoj kas man iš to seno tetušio
Kad nėr mona bernelio, kad nėr mona jaunoj
Tuojoj ulycioj, po jovareliu
Verkė jaunas bernelis, verkė jaunas, jaunas
Uoj cit neverkie jaunas berneli
Ant atvažiuos motušė, ant atvažiuos senoj
Uoj kas man iš tos senos motušes
Kad nėr mona mergelės, kad nėr mona jaunos
In That Street, Under the Sycamore: song interpretation
This song can be understood as a song of longing for the beloved. At the beginning, in the village street, under a sycamore, a young woman is crying. When she is comforted with the promise that her father, the old one, will come, she answers: what is that old father to me, when my young man is not here? This answer can be read as the idea that a father cannot replace the beloved.
Then the same structure is transferred to the young man: he cries, and when he is comforted with the promise that his mother will come, he answers: what is that old mother to me, when my young woman is not here? These images can be understood as equal longing on both sides.
The inability of parents to take the beloved's place can be read as the irreplaceability of the loved person. This is one possible meaning, but the motif of longing and the beloved's irreplaceability is clear.
In That Street, Under the Sycamore: symbols and phrases
- Ulyčia and sycamore
- The village street and sycamore tree where the crying takes place mark the song's setting.
- Crying young woman and young man
- The two young people crying beneath the sycamore mark longing for the beloved.
- Arriving father and mother
- The promised consolation of parents marks kinship closeness, which is not enough here.
- "What is father to me when my young man is absent"
- The beloved cannot be replaced by parents. This marks the irreplaceability of the loved person.
In That Street, Under the Sycamore: song history
"In That Street, Under the Sycamore" belongs to love and longing songs, built on parallelism. In the first part, a young woman cries beneath the sycamore; in the second, a young man cries, and both give the same kind of answer. The setting, the ulyčia or village street under the sycamore, and the doubled line "cried young, young" are characteristic features of lyrical love songs.
The exact place and time of recording are not given on this page, so the song is presented according to genre features. The language is dialectal: "ulycioj," "ant atvažiuos" meaning "will soon arrive," and "mona" meaning "my." Both are comforted by the promise that parents will arrive, but both answer that an old father or mother cannot substitute for the beloved. This emphasizes the irreplaceability of the loved person.
sources
- Lietuvių liaudies dainynas, vols. 1-23, Vilnius 1980-2011 (LLTI)
- Lietuvių liaudies dainų katalogas, 6 vols., Vilnius 1972-1986
In That Street, Under the Sycamore: sources
In That Street, Under the Sycamore: frequently asked questions
What kind of song is this?
It is a love and longing song that parallels a crying young woman and a crying young man, both missing the beloved.
Why do both the young woman and the young man cry?
Both long for the loved person. The song repeats the same structure twice to show equal feeling and longing on both sides.
What does it mean that parents cannot replace the beloved?
The crying person is told an old father or mother will arrive, but answers that this does not help without the beloved. The loved person is irreplaceable.
What do "ulyčia" and "mona" mean?
"Ulyčia" means village street, a Slavic borrowing, and "mona" is dialectal for "my." The scene takes place in the street under a sycamore.