The Wind Blew lyrics and meaning

Pūtė vėjas, pūtė vėjas
Ąžuolą, ąžuolėlį.

Nepūsk, vėjel, nepūsk, vėjel
Ąžuolo, ąžuolėlio.

Ba nemoka, ba nemoka
Ąžuolas atsipūsti.

Nė šakelių, nei šakelių
Atlinguoti.

Barė tėvas, barė tevas
Sūnelį, sūnaitėlį.

Nebark tėvel, nebark tėvel
Sūnelio, sūnaitėlio.

Ba nemoka, ba nemoka
Sūnelis atsibarti.

Nė žodelio, nė žodelio
Atsakyti.

The Wind Blew — second version lyrics

Pūtė vėjas,
Pūtė vėjas ąžuolą, ąžuołėlį.

Nepūsk vėjai, nepūsk vėjel ąžuolo, ąžuołėlo.
Ba nemoka, ba nemoka ąžuolas atsipūstia.
(Nei šakelėm, nei šakelėm atlinguoti.)
Rasi rytą, rasi rytą lapelius nubarstytus.
Ąžuołėlio, ąžuołėlio šakelas Nulaužytas.
(Barė tėvas, barė tėvas sūnelį, sūnelėlį.)
Nebark, tėvai, nebark, tėvel, sūnelio, sūnelėlio.
Ba nemoka, ba nemoka sūnelis atsibarcia.
(Nei žodelio, nei žodelio atsakyt.)
Rasi rytą, rasi rytą stainelas, atdarytas.
O bėruosius, o bėruosius žirgelius išvažiuotus.

The Wind Blew: song interpretation

This song can be understood as a parallel song comparing the wind with the oak and the father with the son. At the beginning the wind blows against the oak, the little oak, and is asked not to blow, because the oak does not know how to blow back or sway its branches in answer. This image can be interpreted as helplessness before a stronger force.

Then the same structure is transferred to people: the father scolds the son, and he is asked not to scold, because the son does not know how to answer back or say even a word in reply. This parallel can be understood as the son's submission before the father.

In another version it is added that in the morning one will find scattered leaves and broken branches, and also an open stable and the bay horses ridden away. These images can be interpreted as a hint that the scolded son leaves home. That is one possible meaning, but the parallel between wind and oak, father and son, is clear.

The Wind Blew: symbols and phrases

Wind blowing against the oak
The wind battering the oak. It parallels the father scolding the son.
Oak unable to blow back
The oak unable to resist the wind. It marks helplessness before a stronger force.
Father scolding the son
The father's anger toward the son. It parallels the wind battering the oak.
Ridden-away horses and open stable
In the second version, signs of the son's departure. They mark leaving home after the quarrel.

The Wind Blew: song history

"The Wind Blew" belongs to family songs whose structure rests on psychological parallelism: the wind blowing against the oak is compared with the father scolding his son. Both parts of the song are built on the same formula - the oak does not know how to "blow back," the son does not know how to "scold back"; the oak cannot sway its branches in answer, the son cannot answer with a single word. Through this formula the song expresses helplessness and submission before a stronger force. Such comparison between nature and human life is one of the foundational features of Lithuanian lyric song.

The exact place and time of recording are not stated on this page, so the song is presented according to genre features; a second, longer variant is also included in the base page. In that variant, one will find the leaves scattered, the branches broken, the stable open, and the horses ridden away in the morning - thus suggesting indirectly that the scolded son has left home.

sources

  • Lietuvių liaudies dainynas, t. 1-23, Vilnius 1980-2011 (LLTI)
  • Lietuvių liaudies dainų katalogas, 6 t., Vilnius 1972-1986

The Wind Blew: sources