Night After Night I Could Not Sleep lyrics and meaning
Kas naktelė par naktelė meiga nemėiguojau
Žaliuojė lonkelie žirgelius dabuojau
Užmėgusi užsnūdusi mažą valondelė
Išgėrdau pajotau dėdė naujinelė
Atjuo atjuo jauns bernielis par žalė lonkelė
Šonkindams monkindams joudbierą žėrgielį
Kad aš gautiuo ton mergelė sau už prietelkelė
Linksmintiuos ir džiaugtiuos par visą omžielį
Meaning
This song, written in Samogitian dialect, can be understood as a young person's song about night horse-herding and the desire for love. At the beginning, the singer says that night after night there was no sleep while guarding horses in the green meadow. This image can be read as a young person's night watch over the horses.
After falling asleep and dozing for a little while, a new piece of news is heard, and a young man rides across the green meadow on a black-bay horse, making it dance and training it. His arrival can be understood as the anticipation of a meeting or courtship.
At the end, the wish is spoken: to have that girl as one's beloved, so that one might rejoice and be happy for a whole lifetime. This image can be interpreted as youthful hope for love and a happy future. That is one possible meaning, but the motifs of night horse-herding and love desire are clear.
Symbols
- Watching horses at night
- The horses are guarded through the night in a green meadow. This marks a young person's night labor and vigil.
- Dozing off
- The brief sleep beside the horses turns the song toward unexpected news and a meeting.
- Young man on a black-bay horse
- The rider crossing the meadow signals the anticipation of love and courtship.
- Girl as prietelkele
- The desired girl as beloved or betrothed. She signifies youthful hope for love and happiness.
History
This Samogitian text joins youth and love themes: night horse-herding in the green meadow is a typical image of young people's work and leisure, and through it a longing for love breaks through. Naktigonė - herding horses at night - often becomes a space of youth meetings and courtship in Lithuanian songs, so the arriving young man on a black-bay horse and the final wish to have the girl as a beloved belong to this group of motifs.
The exact recording place and time are not given on this page, so the song is presented through genre features; it is written in marked Samogitian dialect forms, such as "meiga," "lonkelie," "joudbierą žėrgielį," and "omžielį." The structure moves steadily from watching the horses, through a brief sleep, to the young man's appearance and the hope of a happy future.
Sources
- Lithuanian Folk Songbook, 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: youth songs
- LLTI: Lithuanian Folk Songbook
Common questions
Night After Night I Could Not Sleep: what kind of song is this?
It is a youth and love song about night horse-herding, or naktigonė, and a young person's desire for love; it is written in Samogitian dialect.
What does night horse-herding mean?
Naktigonė is the herding of horses at night. In Lithuanian songs it often becomes a space for youth meetings and courtship.
What is "prietelkele"?
It means a beloved or betrothed, from a word for a close friend or companion. The young man wants the girl as his beloved for life.
Why does the song sound unusual?
It is written in strong Samogitian dialect forms, such as "meiga," "lonkelie," "joudbierą žėrgielį," and "omžielį."