Let Us Go Home, Brothers lyrics and meaning
Eisim, broleliai, namo, namo,
Jaunieji broleliai, namo, namo.
Rasim tėvulį belaukiantį,
Rankoj dirželį belaikantį.
Eisim, sesulės, namo, namo,
Jaunosios sesulės, namo, namo.
Rasim motulę belaukiančią,
Rankoj rykštelę belaikančią.
Meaning
This song can be understood as a short song about going home and the waiting hand of the parents. At the beginning, the brothers are urged to go home, where they will find the father waiting, holding a little belt in his hand. The belt in the father's hand immediately creates the expectation of punishment.
In the second part, the sisters are urged to go home, where they will find the mother waiting, holding a little switch in her hand. The mother's switch corresponds to the father's belt. This parallelism can be interpreted as children returning to strict parents prepared to discipline them.
The song is brief and restrained, so its mood can be perceived in two ways: as a serious image of parental strictness, or as a light, slightly comic picture of childish fear. That is one possible reading, but the motifs of going home and parental discipline are clear.
Symbols
- Going home
- The brothers and sisters are urged to return home. This is the song's main action and emotional center.
- Father's belt
- The belt in the father's hand as he waits for the returning children. It marks possible punishment and paternal strictness.
- Mother's switch
- The switch in the mother's hand. It corresponds to the father's belt and marks the disciplining mother.
History
"Let Us Go Home, Brothers" is a short song close to the children's repertoire, built on the parallelism of two stanzas: the brothers return to the father holding a belt, while the sisters return to the mother holding a switch. The brief repeated stanza, with the recurring "home, home" and the pair "young brothers / young sisters," is typical of children's and youth songs often sung in play.
The belt and switch in the parents' hands create the expectation of discipline, so the song can sound both like a serious image of parental severity and like a light, somewhat funny picture of a child's fear. The exact recording place and time of this version are not given on the page, so the song is presented through genre features.
Sources
- Lithuanian Folk Songbook, vols. 1-23, Vilnius 1980-2011 (LLTI)
- P. Jokimaitienė, Lithuanian Folk Children's Songs, Vilnius 1970
- Catalogue of Lithuanian Folk Songs, 6 vols., Vilnius 1972-1986
- Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia: Lithuanian folk songs
- Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia: children's songs
- LLTI: Lithuanian Folk Songbook
Common questions
Let Us Go Home, Brothers: what kind of song is this?
It is a short song close to children's songs, about going home to the waiting hand of strict parents.
What do the belt and switch signify?
The father's belt and the mother's switch signify possible punishment and parental strictness awaiting the returning children.
Why are the stanzas about brothers and sisters almost identical?
This is parallelism: the brothers return to the father, the sisters to the mother. Such repetition is common in children's and youth songs.
Is the song serious or comic?
It can be heard both ways: as a serious image of parental strictness and as a light, slightly comic picture of childish fear.