Uploaded March 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Vocals by July Vitraniuk, fiddle by Anna Vasylchenko, hurdy-gurdy by Max Kerner. This year's foray into Eastern Europe continues with Ukraine, and the next songs of the region will delve into Belarusian and Baltic music.
This is a folk song from Ukraine, attributed to the Rusyn, a Slavic ethnolinguistic group whose language is variably categorised as a dialect of Ukrainian or a separate but closely related Slavic language. Whatever the taxonomy of Rusyn as a language, their music is firmly situated in the Carpathian musical ecosystem, characterised by very raw fiddle playing styles, and a strong beat on the buben drum on every first beat of a simple one-two rhythmic structure, a sonority one can find in many other neighbouring countries bordering the Carpathians. Historically, the instruments that were dominant used to be the dulcimer, buben and fiddle, and arguably, the hurdy-gurdy, though musicologists I've consulted disagree on the degree to which it was a folk instrument, and whether it was uniquely used for genres of epic poetry recitatiom. Whilst most of these instruments are still prevalent, newer additions include the double-bass to provide a harmonic bass line, and the accordion.
Lyrics:
А ти мила,
А ти мила, што-сь думала.
Кедь сой ввечер,
Кедь сой ввечер зо мноу спала.
Тота єдна думка моя,
Же ти не мій, я не твоя, душко моя.
Чого єш ся,
Чого єш ся погнівала.
Кой єсь щиро,
Кой єсь щиро не думала.
Забудь мила то гнівання,
Бо то было на прощання, душко моя.
Од тих думок,
Од тих думок серце болить.
Хто на двоє,
Хто на двоє любов ділить.
Моя любов знат лем тебе,
Не ходь ку двом, придь до мене, душко моя
Translation:
And you, my dear,
And you, my dear — what were you thinking,
When in the evening
When in the evening you slept with me?
This is my one thought:
That you are not mine, and I am not yours, my dear soul.
Why have you,
Why have you become angry,
When you did not think
When you did not think sincerely?
Forget, my dear, that anger,
For it was only at our parting, my dear soul.
From these thoughts,
From these thoughts my heart aches.
Who would divide,
Who would divide love in two?
My love knows only you.
Do not go to another — come to me, my dear soul.
Vocals by July Vitraniuk, fiddle by Anna Vasylchenko, hurdy-gurdy by Max Kerner. This year's foray into Eastern Europe continues with Ukraine, and the next songs of the region will delve into Belarusian and Baltic music.
This is a folk song from Ukraine, attributed to the Rusyn, a Slavic ethnolinguistic group whose language is variably categorised as a dialect of Ukrainian or a separate but closely related Slavic language. Whatever the taxonomy of Rusyn as a language, their music is firmly situated in the Carpathian musical ecosystem, characterised by very raw fiddle playing styles, and a strong beat on the buben drum on every first beat of a simple one-two rhythmic structure, a sonority one can find in many other neighbouring countries bordering the Carpathians. Historically, the instruments that were dominant used to be the dulcimer, buben and fiddle, and arguably, the hurdy-gurdy, though musicologists I've consulted disagree on the degree to which it was a folk instrument, and whether it was uniquely used for genres of epic poetry recitatiom. Whilst most of these instruments are still prevalent, newer additions include the double-bass to provide a harmonic bass line, and the accordion.
Lyrics:
А ти мила,
А ти мила, што-сь думала.
Кедь сой ввечер,
Кедь сой ввечер зо мноу спала.
Тота єдна думка моя,
Же ти не мій, я не твоя, душко моя.
Чого єш ся,
Чого єш ся погнівала.
Кой єсь щиро,
Кой єсь щиро не думала.
Забудь мила то гнівання,
Бо то было на прощання, душко моя.
Од тих думок,
Од тих думок серце болить.
Хто на двоє,
Хто на двоє любов ділить.
Моя любов знат лем тебе,
Не ходь ку двом, придь до мене, душко моя
Translation:
And you, my dear,
And you, my dear — what were you thinking,
When in the evening
When in the evening you slept with me?
This is my one thought:
That you are not mine, and I am not yours, my dear soul.
Why have you,
Why have you become angry,
When you did not think
When you did not think sincerely?
Forget, my dear, that anger,
For it was only at our parting, my dear soul.
From these thoughts,
From these thoughts my heart aches.
Who would divide,
Who would divide love in two?
My love knows only you.
Do not go to another — come to me, my dear soul.
