Stevtone
Sissel Lyrics


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(Trad. Arr./Folk song from Telemark and Setesdal)

Høyr de dette, de gjentur unge,
No lyt de kvea med mål og tunge;
Blomen bleiknar og dagen kri,
Ho renn so fort dikkos ungdomstid.

Å allting gjømest no bort med tidi,
Men alli gløymest det ei hev lidi.
Fe alt i verdi kan gjevast råd,
Men ungdoms kjærleik han auker på.

Eg vikkje ha meg ein tjørebrennar,
Som tek på pattan med svarte hendar.
Nei, eg vilo ha meg ein spelemann,
Han leiker fint med pattan han.

Instr. Solo.

Å mine visur dei er så mange
Som heggjeblomane drys i fangjet.
Så hev dei voreall si tid,
Til meir eg kved dei fleir dei bli.





Da, di, da, di, da...

Overall Meaning

The Norwegian folk song "Stevtone" is rich in its nostalgia for youth and the passing of time. The song begins with a call to the young to listen closely to the words being sung, as the flowers fade and the day grows dim, quickly slipping away into the past. The grim reality of time and its fleeting nature is quite obvious as the images of fading flowers and the dying of day are employed to evoke the transience of youth. It may be said that the poet is attempting to fill the young with a deeper understanding of life, and at the same time, urging them to live their youth to the fullest; for all things come to an end with time.


The second verse speaks of the timelessness of memory, emphasizing the fact that even as things become forgotten or discarded, some things still remain. Despite progress and transformation, love particularly endures through time, never fading, always keeping the cherished moments of our youth alive. The third and final verse reiterates the poet's longing for the ideal life. He does not wish to be a tar burner with black, rough hands, but rather he wants to be a fiddler, one who is skillful with his hands but at the same time, is gentle and artistically expressive. The song ends with a hopeful tone, the lilting melody echoing through the ages, as a timeless reminder of the beauty and impermanence of life.


Line by Line Meaning

Høyr de dette, de gjentur unge,
Listen to this, young people, they sing with language and tongue;


No lyt de kvea med mål og tunge;
Now they sing with melody and tongue;


Blomen bleiknar og dagen kri,
The flowers fade and the days grow short,


Ho renn so fort dikkos ungdomstid.
Your youth runs so fast.


Å allting gjømest no bort med tidi,
Everything disappears with time,


Men alli gløymest det ei hev lidi.
But what one has experienced is never forgotten.


Fe alt i verdi kan gjevast råd,
All wealth in the world can be given advice,


Men ungdoms kjærleik han auker på.
But youth's love only grows.


Eg vikkje ha meg ein tjørebrennar,
I don't want a tar-burner,


Som tek på pattan med svarte hendar.
Who touches the strings with black hands.


Nei, eg vilo ha meg ein spelemann,
No, I want a fiddler,


Han leiker fint med pattan han.
Who plays beautifully with the strings.


Å mine visur dei er så mange
Oh my songs, they are so many


Som heggjeblomane drys i fangjet.
Like white flowers falling in the catch.


Så hev dei voreall si tid,
So they have been for all time,


Til meir eg kved dei fleir dei bli.
The more I sing them, the more they become.


Da, di, da, di, da...
Da, di, da, di, da...




Contributed by Jake B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Brian


on Going Home

Where you have “yes” several times she’s really singing “just”. It’s her accent that makes it sound like “yes”.