Speckled Roosters Crowed lyrics and meaning
Raibi gaideliai giedojo,
Brolis žirgelį balnojo.
Kelkis sesele, žalia rūtele,
Brolelio rengėjele /x2
Uždek man šviesią ugnelį
Aš nusiprausiu burnelį
Atsisveikinsiu tėvą, motulį
Ir brolį, sesrėlį. /x2
O per dvarelį jodamas,
Vario vartelius keldamas,
O ir pamačiau jauną mergelį
Svirnely pas skrynelį.
O ką ten veiki, mergele ?
O kam tu rėžai drobeles ?
Aš nenešiosiu tų marškinėlių
Kareivėliu būdams.
Speckled Roosters Crowed: song interpretation
This song can be understood as a recruit's farewell song. At the beginning speckled roosters crow, while the brother saddles his horse and wakes the sister, the green rue, the one who prepares him. This image can be read as the preparations of a departure morning.
The brother then asks her to light a bright fire so he can wash his face and say farewell to father, mother, brother, and sister. These images can be understood as leave-taking from the whole family before riding away.
At the end, riding through the manor yard, he sees a young woman in the granary by her chest, cutting cloth, and says he will not wear those shirts because he will be a soldier. This image can be read as a broken marriage hope cut off by military service. This is one possible meaning, but the motifs of the recruit's farewell and interrupted hope are clear in the song.
Speckled Roosters Crowed: symbols and phrases
- Speckled roosters
- Roosters crowing at dawn. They mark the hour of departure.
- Brother saddling the horse
- The brother preparing for the journey. He marks departure from home.
- Girl cutting cloth
- The young woman in the granary cutting fabric for shirts. She marks the hope of marriage.
- "I will not wear the shirts, being a soldier"
- The young man says the shirts will not be needed because he becomes a soldier. This marks a broken marriage hope.
Speckled Roosters Crowed: song history
"Speckled Roosters Crowed" belongs to military-historical recruit songs about a young man riding away into military service and saying farewell. The song begins with roosters crowing and a horse being saddled at dawn, a usual formula of the departure morning, and leads through farewell to father, mother, brother, and sister; such gradual listing of family members is a typical feature of departure songs.
The exact place and time of recording are not stated on this page, so the song is presented through genre features. The ending, where the young man rides through the manor yard, sees a girl cutting cloth for shirts, and says he will not wear them because he is becoming a soldier, expresses the marriage hope broken by military service.
sources
- Lietuvių liaudies dainynas, vols. 1-23, Vilnius 1980-2011 (LLTI)
- D. Krištopaitė. Lietuvių karinės-istorinės dainos, Vilnius 1956
Speckled Roosters Crowed: sources
Speckled Roosters Crowed: frequently asked questions
What kind of song is this?
It is a military-historical recruit song about a young man riding into service at dawn, saying farewell to family, and losing a marriage hope.
What do the speckled roosters at the start mean?
The roosters crowing at dawn mark the time of departure, as the brother saddles his horse and prepares to ride away.
Why does the young man say he will not wear the shirts?
He sees the girl cutting cloth for shirts but says he will not wear them because he is becoming a soldier. Military service interrupts the marriage hope.
Who is the "brother's preparer"?
It is the sister whom the brother wakes and asks to prepare him for departure. The phrase means the one who dresses and readies him for the journey.