THE BALKANARAMA SHEET MUSIC ARCHIVE
Zapevala sojka ptica
Many recordings have been made of this song about a young woman who's getting married -- maybe not entirely willingly -- and has to get up early to prepare gifts for her future in-laws.
We've heard several arrangements of the lyrics. This arrangement for dancing repeats every couplet to form five verses. The interjection "aman" has a meaning somewhere between "oh, my" and "alas."
Zapevala sojka ptica Misli zora je, aman aman, misli zora je. Ustaj Kato, ustaj zlato, spremaj darove, aman aman, spremaj darove. Jam sam mlada i sirota nemam darove, aman aman, nemam darove. Da si mlada i sirota shto se udajesh, aman aman, shto se udajesh. Udala me stara majka nisam ni znala, aman aman, nisam ni znala. Zapevala sojka ptica Misli zora je, aman aman, misli zora je. Ustaj Kato, ustaj zlato, spremaj darove, aman aman, spremaj darove. Jam sam mlada i sirota nemam darove, aman aman, nemam darove. Da si mlada i sirota shto se udajesh, aman aman, shto se udajesh. Udala me stara majka nisam ni znala, aman aman, nisam ni znala.	The jaybird is singing He thinks it's dawn, aman aman, He thinks it's dawn. Get up Kata, get up, golden one, Prepare the gifts, aman aman, Prepare the gifts. I am young and poor, I have no gifts, aman aman, I have no gifts. If you're young and poor, Why are you getting married, aman aman, Why are you getting married? My old mother married me off, I didn't know, aman aman, I didn't know. The jaybird is singing He thinks it's dawn, aman aman, He thinks it's dawn. Get up Kata, get up, golden one, Prepare the gifts, aman aman, Prepare the gifts. I am young and poor, I have no gifts, aman aman, I have no gifts. If you're young and poor, Why are you getting married, aman aman, Why are you getting married? My old mother married me off, I didn't know, aman aman, I didn't know.
Source: Petranka Kostadinova, "Folk Memories of Macedonia," Mr. Company MC-N 9621 cassette (1996). Lyrics transcribed and translated by Marija Makrevska.