In the Manor Yard lyrics and meaning

Oi, ant dvaro, ant dvarelio,
Stovi žirgas pabalnotas. /2x

Prie žirgelio ir bernelis,
Turi rankoj kančiukėlį. /2x

Prie bernelio ir mergelė,
Turi rankoj paduškėlį. /2x

Oi, berneli dobilėli,
Kur tu josi, ten aš eisiu. /2x

Oi, mergele lelijėle,
Mažas mūsų šyvas žirgas. /2x

Mažas mūsų šyvas žirgas ---
Nepaneš mūs dviej raitelių. /2x

Oi, berneli dobilėli,
Į kalnelį rankoj eisim. /2x

Į kalnelį rankoj eisim,
Nuo kalnelio raiti josim. /2x

Nuo kalnelio raiti josim,
Per girelę paukšte lėksim. /2x

Ir prijojom Nemunėlį,
Klok, mergele, patalėlį. /2x

Trijų eilių perynėlį,
O ketvirtų paduškėlį. /2x

In the Manor Yard: song interpretation

This song can be understood as a song of two lovers' shared journey. At the beginning, a saddled horse stands in the manor yard; beside it is the young man with a little whip, and beside him the young woman with a little pillow. These images can be interpreted as preparation to leave together.

The young woman says that wherever the young man rides, she will go. The young man answers that their grey horse is small and will not carry two riders, so they will walk up the hill, ride down the hill, and fly like birds through the forest. These images can be understood as hardships and joys of the journey shared together.

When they reach the Nemunas, they spread a bed: three rows of feather bedding and a fourth row of pillows. This image can be interpreted as the young couple's union and the beginning of life together. This is one possible meaning, but the motifs of shared journey and love are clear in the song.

In the Manor Yard: symbols and phrases

Saddled horse
The prepared horse standing in the yard. It marks the beginning of the journey.
Little whip and little pillow
The young man's whip and the young woman's pillow. They signify the rider and the future shared bed.
"Where you ride, there I will go"
The young woman's resolve to follow the young man. It signifies devotion and togetherness.
Nemunas and bedding
The reached river and the bed being spread. They signify the young couple's union and the beginning of shared life.

In the Manor Yard: song history

"In the Manor Yard" belongs to love songs about two lovers making a journey together. The song begins with a saddled horse standing in the manor yard, the young man beside it with a little whip, and the young woman beside the young man with a little pillow. These adjacent images already show preparation to depart together. The young woman's declaration, "where you ride, there I will go," is typical of love and fidelity songs.

The exact place and time of recording are not given on this page, so the song is presented by genre traits. The difficulties of the journey are shared together: up the hill on foot, down the hill riding, through the forest like a bird. The final image, by the Nemunas, of spreading bedding, three rows of feather bedding and a pillow, symbolically marks the young couple's union and the beginning of life together.

sources

  • Lietuvių liaudies dainynas, vols. 1-23, Vilnius 1980-2011 (LLTI)
  • Catalogue of Lithuanian Folk Songs, 6 vols., Vilnius 1972-1986

In the Manor Yard: sources