THE ELM DANCE Words sung by Ieva Akuratere lead singer of the group "Perkons" (Thunder)

For information about the Elm Dance and its use to support Activists and "The Work that Reconnects" go to http://joannamacy.net/html/elmdance.html PERKONS & IEVA AKURATERE The Latvian rock group Perkons (Thunder) was one of early successes of the 1980 in the rock genre. The group's members include some of the country's most accomplished rock musicians, not to mention the beautiful soprano voice of Ieva Akuratere. Like all "pop groups" that operated during the Soviet era, they had to be especially careful with their lyrics. Perkons thus developed a reputation in Latvia, similar to that of "Midnight Oil" in Australia.   THE ELM DANCE Ko man dosi mamulite, par muzigu dzivošanu What will you give to me mother dear, for eternal life Ko man dosi mamulite, par muzigu dzivošanu What will you give to me mother dear, for eternal life Izplaukst zelta abelite un ka rita migla skan The little golden apple tree blooms, and rings out like morning mist Izplaukst zelta abelite un ka rita migla skan The little golden apple tree blooms, and rings out like morning mist Ko tas dos tev mamulite, ka tavs delinš nenomirst What does it give to you mother dear, that your little son doesn't die Ko tas dos tev mamulite, ka tavs delinš nenomirst What does it give to you mother dear, that your little son doesn't die Atbildes nav There is no reply Tikai veja notric ozolišu birzs Only the grove of oak trees trembles in the wind Veja notric ozolišu birze The grove of oak trees trembles in the wind Tikai koki savikšas uz rudeni Only the trees put on their autumn leaves Koki savikšas uz rudeni The trees put on their autumn leaves Atbildes nav There is no reply Izškid visi mani joki, Visi joki gludeni All my humour dissolves, All jokes fall flat Izškid visi mani joki, Visi joki gludeni All my humour dissolves, All jokes fall flat Atbildes nav There is no reply Tikai kajas drošak savu zemi min Only our feet all the more surely trample our earth Kajas drošak savu zemi min Our feet all the more surely trample our earth Tapec draugi ka man klajas Therefore, friends, how I am feeling Itneviens lai neuzzin let no-one know Tapec draugi ka man klajas Therefore, friends, how I am feeling Itneviens lai neuzzin let no-one know   NOTES ON PRONUNCIATION "o" is pronounced as "uoa" a little like the "oa" in "koala" "j" is pronounced as an "y" (silently) as the "y" in "yes" "š" is pronounced as "sh" "v" is pronounced as "u" when it occurs at the end of a word "c" is pronounced as "ts" "a" is pronounced as "a" as in "father" "r" is pronounced with a roll "t" is not pronounced with an expulsion of air (almost like a "d" but with "t" instead) "n" is pronounced as a "ny" a little like the "n" in "new" "k" is pronounced as a "ty" (not a explosive "t" but a soft one) .NOTES ON INTERPRETATION Latvian is a language that was only written down when German missionaries spread the Christian faith in the 1700's, being the last place in North Western Europe to maintain a pagan animistic worship of the land, the seasons and forces of nature. Hence many words in the song multiple meanings and connotations. This trend towards double meaning was accentuated during the years of Stalinist Soviet rule, where to be too explicit about things could land you in trouble. People became very good at saying one thing and meaning another. The song uses double lines. This is because in the oral tradition, the singer would sing the first line, and the audience sings the second, as there was no way of writing down songs until comparatively recently. Latvia's rich oral culture was kept alive in this fashion for centuries if not millennia. There are many examples of double meaning in the song. * "mamulite" - means "Mother Dear", but has other meanings also. It here seems to be referring to Mother Nature, or Mother Earth - to Gaia herself. * "muzigu dzivošanu" - means "eternal life" or "to live forever". It could be referring to either the Earth as a whole or to Humanity on the Earth, as there is no differentiation between subject and object within the lyrics, making the meaning even more cryptic. * "zelta abelite" - means "golden little apple tree". The apple-tree was considered to be the tree of life, in the Garden of Eden. Pagan Latvians also had a belief in the sacred tree of life. Using this image of the tree of life in this context may lead one to think that this is the answer to the question of Mother Earth about eternal life. * "migla skan" - is a strange image. It means literally "how mist sounds" or rings out like the sound of a bell, ringing out over a valley shrouded in mist. It is as if the essence of the Tree of Life has become hidden in the sound of the morning mist. "Ask not for whom the bell tolls" - the mist has its own sound as the season shifts towards autumn and the mist enshrouds the Earth.. * "delinš" - means "little son". In this conext the "ltittle son" of "Mother Earth" is humanity itself. The question thus seems to indicate "What does it give to the earth that humanity persists". * "Atbildes nav" - means literally, "there is no return image", but in this context it can be that there is no reply or answer to the question the singer is asking of Mother Earth. The Earth is remaining silent about whether or not humanity will persist. Rather than answering the answer, the trees tremble in the wind (with the way nature becomes aprehensive) and moving towards the autumn can mean approaching an "end" of the year in the season of winter. In the conext of the song, this may be the response that "Mother Earth" is giving to the singer's questions. * "Izškid" - means to "dissolve", in the Latvian dictionary, like "salt in water" * "joki" - literally means "joke", but in this sense it means a "sense of humour, of fun and joy". It is as if the persons joy in life is dissolving as a result of the shift towards autumn and the end of the year. * "gludeni" - means smooth or flat, like a road or a flat surface. The jokes falling flat means that the "punch line" is not working. It is like a joke that no-one laughs at, a joke for which there is no reply. * "Kajas drošak savu zemi min" - our feet more surely trample our earth is a result of the persistence of humanity, earth's young child, becoming ever more numerous. * "ka man klajas" - means "how does your life go for you", implying health as well as general wellbeing. In the sense of the song it seems to be asking how the singer feels about this strange enigmatic silence of the earth and the answers she is giving the singer. The implication is that as the answers of the earth are enigmatic, the humanity listening to the song cannot know exactly what the earth moving towards autumn and trees trembling in the wind really means. * "Itneviens lai neuzzin" - means no one can discover, or the idea of permission - letting no one discover what the Earth and the singer really feels. There is no difference here between subject and object so it is not clear whether the Earth, the little son, or the singer herself is being referred to here.