Masonry on the Hill lyrics and meaning

Ant kalno mūrai, joja lietuviai. /2x
Joja, joja lietuvaičiai,
Neša, neša jaunikaičiai,
Vainiką rūtų, vainiką rūtų. /2x

Štai ir prijojo uošvės dvarelį. /2x
Kelkis, kelkis, mergužėle,
Balta graži lelijėle,
Žirgelių girdyt, žirgelių girdyt. /2x

Dar nesikelsiu, dar ne dienelė. /2x
Man močiutė taip prisakė:
Su berneliais nekalbėti,
Močiutės klausau, širdelės klausau. /2x

Masonry on the Hill: song interpretation

This song can be understood as a wedding song of the groom's arrival. The image of masonry buildings standing on a hill while Lithuanian youths ride carrying a rue wreath creates a solemn courtship or wedding mood. The rue wreath is an important wedding symbol, so carrying it suggests that the riders are coming to ask for the young woman or to marry her.

When they reach the mother-in-law's manor, the young men wake the maiden, calling her a beautiful white lily, and invite her to rise and water the horses. In Lithuanian songs, watering horses is often a courtship motif that symbolically brings the young people together. It can be read as the groom's side trying to draw the maiden into contact.

The maiden answers that she will not hurry: it is not yet day, and her mother has told her not to speak with young men. This refusal can be understood as obedience to the mother and the modesty expected of maidens in wedding songs. That is one possible meaning, but the courtship and maternal instruction motifs are clear.

Masonry on the Hill: symbols and phrases

Masonry buildings
Stone or brick buildings marking a wealthy or significant place. They give the opening of the song a solemn tone.
Rue wreath
A symbol of maidenhood and marriage. Carrying it shows that the riders come for courtship or wedding business.
Mother-in-law's manor
The homestead of the future mother-in-law. Arrival there marks the beginning of the courtship scene.
Watering the horses
A frequent courtship motif in Lithuanian songs. The invitation to water the horses subtly invites the maiden to interact with the young men.

Masonry on the Hill: song history

"Masonry on the Hill" is classed by its motifs with wedding songs: the carrying of a rue wreath, arrival at the mother-in-law's manor, and waking of the young woman are familiar images of the groom's side arriving and courtship beginning. The refrain-like repetitions ("they ride, they ride," "they carry, they carry," "a rue wreath, a rue wreath") and the gradual development of the stanzas are typical of ritual wedding song, where the action unfolds step by step from arrival to dialogue with the maiden.

The precise place and date of recording for this variant are not given on the page, so the song is presented through its genre features. Motifs of the rue wreath, the in-law's manor, and watering the horses occur in wedding repertory variants from many Lithuanian regions. The maiden's answer, that she obeys her mother and "does not speak with young men," echoes modesty and parental will, themes common in courtship and wedding songs.

sources

  • Lietuvių liaudies dainynas, vols. 1-23, Vilnius 1980-2011 (LLTI)
  • A. Juška. Lietuviškos svotbinės dainos, 2 vols., Vilnius 1955
  • Lietuvių liaudies dainų katalogas, 6 vols., Vilnius 1972-1986

Masonry on the Hill: sources