They Sent Me a Letter lyrics and meaning
Tei atrašė man laiškelį, /2x
Net iš didžiasias Rygelės.
Verkia sūnelis skaitydamas, /2x
Verkia tėvelis klausydamas.
-Tėveli mano cikrasiai, /2x
Aikie in aukštų stanelį.
Aikie in aukštų stanelį, /2x
Išvesk man bėrų žirgelį.
Verkia tevelis gailėdamas, /2x
Iš stanias žirgelį vesdamas.
Tei atrašė man laiškelį, /2x
Net iš didžiasias Rygelės.
Verkia sūnelis skaitydamas, /2x
Verkia motulė klausydama.
-Motulė mana cikraja, /2x
Aikie in margų skrynelį.
Aikie in margų skrynelį, /2x
Atnešk baltus marškinėlius.
Verkia motulė gailėdama, /2x
Sūnui marškinėlius nešdama.
Tei atrašė man laiškelį, /2x
Net iš didžiasias Rygelės.
Verkia sūnelis skaitydamas, /2x
Verkia brolalis klausydamas.
-Brolali mano cikrasiai, /2x
Aikie in aukštų svirnelį.
Aikie in aukštų svirnelį, /2x
Atnešk man aukselio balnelį.
Verkia brolalis gailėdamas, /2x
Brolaliui balnelį nešdamas.
They Sent Me a Letter: song interpretation
This song can be understood as a recruit departure song. At the beginning, a little letter arrives even from great Riga, and the son weeps while reading it, while the father weeps as he listens. The letter from Riga can be interpreted as a summons to service.
The son then asks his father to go to the high stable and lead out the bay horse, and the father weeps as he leads the horse out. These images can be understood as painful preparation for departure.
The same structure is repeated with the mother, who brings white shirts, and the brother, who brings the golden saddle, and each one weeps. These images can be interpreted as the grief of the whole family as they prepare the son for service. That is one possible meaning, but the motifs of recruit departure and family sorrow are clear.
They Sent Me a Letter: symbols and phrases
- Letter from Riga
- The letter sent from great Riga. It marks a summons to military service.
- Weeping father, mother, and brother
- The relatives who listen and grieve. They mark the sorrow of the family.
- Bay horse, white shirts, golden saddle
- The horse and belongings prepared for the son. They mark preparation for departure.
- Leading the horse, bringing the shirts
- Preparations performed in tears. They mark painful farewell before service.
They Sent Me a Letter: song history
"They Sent Me a Letter" belongs to military-historical recruit songs: the little letter from great Riga is understood as a summons to service, and the whole song depicts the painful preparation for departure. It is arranged through repetition with reverse gradation: the same three-part circle - father with the bay horse, mother with the white shirts, brother with the golden saddle - begins each time with the formula of the weeping son and the weeping relative, so the whole family is drawn in turn into the mourning of farewell.
The specific place and date of recording are not given on this page, so the song is presented through its genre features. Motifs of recruit send-off, the horse and service equipment, and the weeping formula are typical of military-historical songs. The text is recorded in dialectal forms (cikrasiai, aikie, stanelį), as is common in such songs; variants exist in different Lithuanian regions.
sources
- Lietuvių liaudies dainynas, vols. 1-23, Vilnius 1980-2011 (LLTI)
- D. Krištopaitė. Lietuvių karinės-istorinės dainos, Vilnius 1956
They Sent Me a Letter: sources
They Sent Me a Letter: frequently asked questions
What kind of song is this?
It is a military-historical recruit song about a summons to service and the painful sending-off of a son, in which the whole family participates in turn.
What does the letter from Riga mean?
The letter from great Riga is understood as a summons to military service; as it is read, both the son and the listening relatives weep.
What do the bay horse, shirts, and golden saddle signify?
They are the things prepared for departure. The father leads out the horse, the mother brings shirts, and the brother brings the golden saddle; together they form the preparation for service.
What do the dialect words cikrasiai and aikie mean?
They are dialect forms: cikrasiai means "true" or "real," and aikie means "go." Such dialect is typical of songs recorded from living tradition and does not change the meaning.