DakhaBrakha

Alambari

DakhaBrakha: Nina Garenetska, Iryna Kovalenko, Olena Tsybulska, Marko Halanevych
Director: Vlad Troitskyi
Art-manager: Iryna Gorban
Recording: Tiago Monteiro, Studio Gargolandia
Mix: Maksym Hrusevych
Mastering: Martin Bowes, The Cage Studio
Design: Marko Halanevych
Pictures: Denys Melnyk

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 1) Dostochka/Plank

In the street you will tell me baby, 
you will tell me baby – all right
An oak plank lay in a willow tree.
Oh yes, lay in the willow tree.

In the willow it lay, from the willow it fell.
Oh lyuli, lyuli, it fell off the willow tree,

It fell off the willow tree and struck young lads.
Oh lyuli, lyuli, struck young lads

Young fellows who sat with work to do,
Oh lyuli, lyuli, they had work to do.

In the sky you will tell me baby,
you will tell me baby – all right

Chernihiv oblast

 

2) Vynnaya ya/Sweet-and-Sour 

Oh in the garden, in the vineyard, stood sweet-and-sour apple tree. 

Refrain: Sweet-and-sour apple-tree
Bore red apples.

Her mother comes, sweet-and-sour. 

Sweet-and-sour apple-tree
Bore red apples.

My daughter Mariyka, toss me an apple,
sweet-and-sour.
Sweet-and-sour apple-tree Bore red apples.

Her beau comes, sweet-and-sour. 

Sweet-and-sour apple-tree
Bore red apples.

Dear Mariyka, toss me an apple, sweet-and-sour.
Sweet-and-sour apple-tree
Bore red apples.

I will toss it to you, I have been keeping it for you.
Sweet-and-sour apple-tree
Bore red apples.

Ivano-Frankivsk oblast, Kolomyia region, village of Zakrivtsi
Recorded by Nina Garenetska

 

3) Khyma

Our Khyma went to the market,
Bought some wool to spin for her three kopys.
The wool swelled up,
Khyma went to the inn and got drunk.

On Monday the hangover had her down.
On Tuesday she got three threads spun.
On Tuesday she got three threads spun.
On Wednesday she showed them to her beau.

Don’t you spin, my dear, don’t trouble yourself.
The spring-beauty will come soon, we’ll dress well.
Once the burdock leaves grow wide,
We’ll sew a fancy-pansy, flowy sundress oh so fine.

Once the burdock leaves grow wide,
We’ll sew a fancy-pansy sundress oh so fine.
Out of nowhere, the priest’s goats came
And gnawed on a fancy-pansy, flowy sundress
Made of burdock.

Cherkasy oblast, Cherkasy region, village of Heronymivka

 

5.Torokh/Rattle

Rattle, rattle, I’ve peas to scatter,
here and there a bit.
For the laymen to trample
a path up the hill.

Under the fence, under the fence
crawled a speckled toad.
And you, my dear one,
might just go bald.

Babies, babies lie lined up
with moms like pink piglets.
And we, unmarried fair maidens
are just having fun.

Under the fence, under the fence
A mare wandered off
Oh whose girl is the one,
Who just lost her petticoat.

On our street
A chicken laid an egg.
On our street
A chicken laid two eggs.
Who does not go out to the street?

 

6) Lado

Herbs cried out in the mountains,
Cried out to the green willow tree:
Gather, young girls,
To drown your bracelets and rings in the water.

Oh Lado, oh lassie,
She is gathering flowers.

Send a lad to the mountains
To gather thin shoots off trees,
Because without a wreath you cannot marry a bride,
Without a wreath you cannot baptize a child. 

Oh Lado, oh lassie,
She is gathering flowers.

And it was winter, and it was summer.
Winter or summer, evergreen flower.
In winter, it lies under thick snow.
In summer, it lies under thick shadows.

 

7) Im tanzen lieba

I don't know why I am feeling

So sorrowful at heart.
An old myth through my thoughts is reeling,
And from them will not depart.

The cool evening air makes me shiver
As I watch the Rhine's gentle flow.
The peak towering over the river
Gleams bright in the sun's setting glow.

Oh you, speckled cuckoo bird,
Why are you so tiny?

The birdies fed me,
They threw me out of the nest.

Up high on a ledge is sitting
A maiden most marvelously fair.
Her golden jewelry is glitt'ring.
She is combing her golden hair.

She uses a gold comb to comb it
And sings a song as well,
That echoes down off the summit
And casts a melodic spell.

H. Heine Lorelei translated by Peter Shor
Volyn oblast, Kamin-Kashyrsky region, village of Vydrychi
Recording from the collection of the Ukrainian Radio

 

8) Ya siv ne v toy litak/I boarded the wrong plane

 

The young widow filled with grief, became sad
Because the green grass has not been cut and stacked.

The mowers reap, the mowers reap, the wind is blowing.
Silky green grass folds against the scythe.

I boarded the wrong plane
For quite a while
I've thought
this had to be the right one
Alas, I boarded
the wrong plane

This only had one wing
I
had to be
the second one
I
failed


Give over my beau, give over to make his gray horse prance.
Come to me, to pigeon to have a dinner. 

Now day by day
so
single-wingedly
we fly
And every moment
we might face
the falling


Why did not you come once the moon rose, I was waiting for you.
Did not have the horse? did you not know the way? or did your mother not let you?

How good it is my patient darling
that I am not afraid of death
And you my love
don't even think
of death
And so
we fly.

Mykola Vingranovskyi, I boarded the wrong plane translated by T.Malkovych
Ivano-Frankivsk oblast, Kosiv region, village of Kosmach
Recorded by Nina Garenetska

 

9) Alambari

Guilder-rose, berry of the meadow,
You stood tall in the sun.

Oh I will go outside…

Wait for me…Linger…

Reapers are coming late, and we have plenty, plenty of rye…

Guilder-rose, berry of the meadow,
You stood tall in the sun.

…To the river…
Wait for me…
…we have plenty, plenty of rye…

Linger…

Guilder-rose, berry of the meadow,
You stood tall in the sun.

…Oh I will do the washing, will whiten it…

We have plenty, plenty of rye…
Wait for me…
We have plenty, plenty of rye…
Linger…

Guilder-rose, berry of the meadow,
You stood tall in the sun.

Wait for me… Linger…
…Oh I did the washing, I wrung the washing.

Reapers are coming late, late,
And we have plenty, plenty of rye…

Guilder-rose, berry of the meadow,
You stood tall in the sun.

Linger…