Let Us Go, Brothers lyrics and meaning

Eisim broliai,
Tūta tūtava
Eisim broliai,
Tūta tūta tūtava

Mes miškuosan,
Tūta tūtava
Mes miškuosan,
Tūta tūta tūtava

Mum beeinant,
Tūta tūtava
Mum beeinant,
Tūta tūta tūtava

Atalyja,
Tūta tūtava
Atalyja,
Tūta tūta tūtava

Šumnus lietus,
Tūta tūtava
Šumnus lietus,
Tūta tūta tūtava

Bėgsim broliai,
Tūta tūtava
Bėgsim broliai,
Tūta tūta tūtava

Po ųžuolu,
Tūta tūtava
Po ųžuolu,
Tūta tūta tūtava

Mum ųžuolas,
Tūta tūtava
Mum ųžuolas,
Tūta tūta tūtava

Ne tėvelis,
Tūta tūtava
Ne tėvelis,
Tūta tūta tūtava

Jo šakelės,
Tūta tūtava
Jo šakelės,
Tūta tūta tūtava

Ne rankelės,
Tūta tūtava
Ne rankelės,
Tūta tūta tūtava

Jo lapeliai,
Tūta tūtava
Jo lapeliai,
Tūta tūta tūtava

Ne žodeliai,
Tūta tūtava
Ne žodeliai,
Tūta tūta tūtava

(Paskui apie sese)

Eisim sesės
Mes miškuosan
Mum beeinant
Atalyja
Šumnus lietus
Bėgsim sesės
Po liepela
Mum liepela
Ne motula
Jos šakełės
Ne rankełės
Jos lapeliai
Ne žodeliai

Let Us Go, Brothers: song interpretation

This song, with its sutartinė-like refrain "Tūta tūtava," can be understood as an orphan song about trees that cannot replace parents. At the beginning, brothers go into the forest, and as they walk, warm heavy rain begins. They run for shelter under an oak that should cover them.

But the song then says that the oak is not their father, its branches are not little hands, and its leaves are not little words. This chain of negations can be interpreted as the painful realization that a tree, though it offers shelter, cannot replace a living father with his hands and words.

The same pattern is then repeated for sisters, who shelter under a linden that is not their mother. This parallelism can be read as an intensification of the orphanhood theme, where both brothers and sisters are left without parental care. That is one possible meaning, but the motifs of orphanhood and loss are clear.

Let Us Go, Brothers: symbols and phrases

"Tūta tūtava"
A sutartinė-like refrain that accompanies every line. It gives the song an old, ritual sound.
Forest and rain
The forest and the sudden rain force the children to seek shelter and introduce the theme of loss.
Oak and linden
The trees under which the children shelter are compared with father and mother. They cannot replace real parents.
Branches and leaves
The tree's branches and leaves are not hands and words. They emphasize that a tree lacks living parental care.

Let Us Go, Brothers: song history

"Let Us Go, Brothers" belongs to family songs in which the theme of orphanhood is especially clear, while the sutartinė-like refrain "Tūta tūtava" gives it an archaic, ritual sound. The song is arranged as a chain of negations: the brothers run from the rain under an oak, but the oak is not their father, its branches are not hands, and its leaves are not words. In the second part, the same is repeated for sisters and a linden that is not their mother.

The comparison of a tree with a lost parent, built on the contrast between tree parts (branches, leaves) and human presence (hands, words), forms the core of the song and deepens the sense of loss. The precise recording place and date are not given on the page, so the song is presented through its genre features; the motif of a tree that cannot replace a parent is widespread in Lithuanian orphan songs.

sources

  • Lietuvių liaudies dainynas, vols. 1-23, Vilnius 1980-2011 (LLTI)
  • Lietuvių liaudies dainų katalogas, 6 vols., Vilnius 1972-1986

Let Us Go, Brothers: sources