A Little Oak Grew in the Forest lyrics and meaning
Augo girioj ąžuolėlis, /3x
Pas tėvelį sūnaitėlis. /3x
Rūpinosi tėvužėlis,
Kad jo mažas sūnaitėlis.
Nesirūpink, tėvužėli,
Užaugs tavo sūnaitėlis.
Užaugs tavo sūnaitėlis,
Bus Lietuvos kareivėlis.
Man nereikia kareivėlio,
Tik man reikia artojėlio.
Nepabuvęs kareivėliu,
Nebus geras artojėlis.
Augo kieme liepužėlė,
Pas močiutę dukterėlė.
Rūpinosi motinėlė,
Kad jos maža dukterėlė.
Nesirūpink, motinėle,
Užaugs tavo dukterėlė.
Užaugs tavo dukterėlė,
Bus drobelių audėjėlė.
Meaning
This song can be understood as a song about children growing up and their future lot, setting son and daughter side by side. At the beginning, the little oak growing in the forest is compared with the father's little son. The oak signifies masculine strength, while the father worries because the son is still small.
The son reassures his father that he will grow up and become a Lithuanian soldier. The father, however, needs a ploughman more than a soldier. The answer, that one who has not been a soldier will not be a good ploughman, allows the song to be interpreted as a reflection on the duty both to defend and to plough the land. These two male roles complement one another here.
In the second part, the little linden growing in the yard is compared with the mother's daughter, who will grow up to be a weaver of linen cloth. This parallelism can be read as a traditional distribution of roles: the man fights and ploughs, the woman weaves. This is one possible meaning, but the motif of growth and future destiny is clear in the song.
Symbols
- Little oak
- The oak growing in the forest and compared with the son. It signifies masculine strength and growth.
- Soldier and ploughman
- Two male roles: defending the land and ploughing it. The song sets them together as complementary.
- Little linden
- The linden growing in the yard and compared with the daughter. It signifies feminine gentleness and growth.
- Weaver
- The weaver of linen cloth, the daughter's future lot. It marks traditional women's work and role.
History
"A Little Oak Grew in the Forest" belongs to family songs about children's growth and their future lot, though it also includes a military-historical motif: the son promises to become a Lithuanian soldier. The song is built on parallelism: the son is compared with a little oak growing in the forest, a sign of masculine strength, while the daughter is compared with a little linden growing in the yard. Repetitions and the orderly pairing of the father's and mother's concern are characteristic of family songs about traditional male and female roles.
The exact place and time of recording are not given on this page, so the song is presented by genre traits. The son's lot is to fight and to plough; the daughter's is to weave linen. This division of roles reflects the structure of the traditional village community.
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
A Little Oak Grew in the Forest: what kind of song is this?
It is a family song about children growing up and their future lot, using parallelism to compare the destinies of son and daughter.
What are the son and daughter compared to?
The son is compared with a little oak in the forest, a sign of masculine strength, while the daughter is compared with a little linden in the yard, a sign of feminine gentleness.
What does it mean that one who has not been a soldier will not be a good ploughman?
The song joins two male duties: defending the land and cultivating it. Military experience is imagined as tempering the ploughman.
What is the daughter's future lot?
When she grows up she will be a weaver of linen cloth, marking traditional women's work and the daughter's role in the family.