The Bear Arrived lyrics and meaning

Atvažiavo meška
Siūbuose, siūbuose
Su alučio bačka
Ratuose, ratuose
Reikia vilkų apženyti
Fydra ritata
Ir alučio padaryti
Fydra u cha cha

Lindo ožis bačkon ---
Arielkos, arielkos
Šunys laižė bliūdus
Tarielkos, tarielkos
O šios rainosios katelės
Fydra ritata
Laižė visokias mėseles
Fydra u cha cha

The Bear Arrived: song interpretation

This song can be understood as a humorous animal wedding and feast song with playful refrains such as "Fydra ritata." At the beginning a bear arrives, swaying in a cart with a barrel of beer. It is immediately announced that the wolves must be married off and more beer made, so the song frames itself as preparation for an animal feast.

Next the goat climbs into the vodka barrel, dogs lick bowls and plates, and striped cats lick all kinds of meat. These images can be read as a comic parody of human weddings and feasting, where each animal behaves according to its nature. Instead of a solemn feast, the result is cheerful disorder.

The whole song, with its nonsense refrains and animal images, was probably sung for amusement, at evening gatherings or to entertain children. It is a light comic piece that caricatures wedding custom. That is one possible reading, but the humorous character of the song is unmistakable.

The Bear Arrived: symbols and phrases

Bear with a beer barrel
The bear arriving in a cart with beer marks the beginning of the feast and the preparation of the animal wedding.
Marrying off the wolves
The wolves' wedding parodies human marriage and gives the song its comic, tale-like quality.
"Fydra ritata"
A meaningless playful refrain that gives the song a lively dance rhythm.
Arielka and tarielkos
Loanwords for vodka and plates. They highlight the comic disorder caused by the animals at the feast.

The Bear Arrived: song history

"The Bear Arrived" belongs to humorous songs that caricature wedding and feasting customs through the animal world. The text is built as a parody of animal weddings and refreshments: the bear arrives with a barrel of beer, the wolves are to be married off and beer made, while the goat gets into the barrel and the dogs and cats lick plates and meat. The nonsensical refrains "Fydra ritata" and "Fydra u cha cha" keep up a playful dance rhythm and are typical of humorous and evening-gathering songs.

The exact recording place and time are not given on this page, so the song is presented by genre traits. The animal-wedding motif and nonsense refrains suggest that the song was most likely meant for entertainment, either in village gatherings or in play with children.

sources

  • Lietuvių liaudies dainynas, vols. 1-23, Vilnius 1980-2011 (LLTI)
  • Catalogue of Lithuanian Folk Songs, 6 vols., Vilnius 1972-1986

The Bear Arrived: sources