Given that there are around 200,000 Ukrainian folk songs, choosing our top ten is quite a challenge. Still, we\u2019ve done our best to\u00a0 convey the richness and variety of the Ukrainian folk tradition \u2013 a tradition central to the country\u2019s culture. Check out our list and see if there are any important songs that you think are missing.<\/p>\n

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What are the lyrics to the Ukraine national anthem?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
12 best Ukrainian composers of all time<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n
6 Ukrainian works you should know<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p><\/div> <\/section>
Best Ukrainian folk songs<\/h2>\n
Ty zh mene pidmanula<\/h3>\n
This cheeky folk song, which translates as \u2018you tricked me and let me down\u2019, probably wins first prize for popularity. It\u2019s about a man complaining to his girlfriend who has promised to meet him somewhere every day of the week, but has failed to turn up each time. Upbeat, fast and catchy, it has been performed and arranged by many singers and groups in and outside of Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\""p1"\">Oi, u vyshnevomu sadu<\/h3>\n<p class=\""p1"\">Translating as \u2018Oh, in the Cherry Orchard\u2019, this is a song about forbidden love, in which a couple meet in a cherry orchard to say goodbye to each other. The text is full of poetic images like \u2018the chattering nightingale\u2019 and \u2018quivering tears\u2019 while the music \u2013 slow and elegiac \u2013 is equally touching.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""\u041e\u0439,\" oi=\"\" u=\"\" vyshnevomu=\"\" sadu=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vDsHDIGeNDM?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3 class=\""p1"\">Chom ty ne pryishov, yak misiats ziishov<\/h3>\n<p class=\""p1"\">This heartfelt song about a jilted lover comes from the Lemkos \u2013 a Ukrainian ethnic group which until 1946 lived in the western-most part of Ukraine on both sides of the Carpathian Mountains. Translating as \u2018Why haven\u2019t you come?\u2019 it really caught on in the \u201970s, when it was performed by the popular Ukrainian trio: the Marenych.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""\u041d\u0430\u0442\u0430\u043b\u0456\u044f\" ty=\"\" ne=\"\" pryishov=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""150"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EmaLUe3fr9M?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<section class=\""highlight\"> <div class=\""highlight__content\" editor-content=\"\"> <p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-irish-folk-songs\/"\"><b>Best Irish folk songs<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/scottish-songs\/"\"><b>Five classic Scottish songs you can\u2019t help singing along to<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/welsh-songs\/"\"><b>Welsh songs: 7 traditional Welsh folk songs you can\u2019t help singing along to<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> <\/p><\/div> <\/section> <h3 class=\""p1"\">Rozpriahaite, khloptsi, kni<\/h3>\n<p class=\""p1"\">This song, translating as \u2018Unhitch the horses, boys\u2019, dates back to at least the 19th century, but it became widely known after appearing in the 1939 film <i>Tractor Drivers. <\/i>Although the lyrics speak of romantic love, its vigour and propulsive rhythm made it a military favourite \u2013 regularly sung by the Red Army and Armed Forces of Ukraine.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""\u0420\u043e\u0437\u043f\u0440\u044f\u0433\u0430\u0439\u0442\u0435,\" rozpriahaite=\"\" khloptsi=\"\" koni=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""150"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8Bdh37AHMcA?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3 class=\""p1"\">Nese Halia Vodu<\/h3>\n<p class=\""p1"\">This slow and gentle song, which translates as \u2018Halia is carrying water\u2019, is about an encounter between a young girl (Halia) and her beau (Ivan), full of flirtatious invitations, accusations of deception, pleas and promises. Some of the lyrics \u2013 \u2018Ivan follows her like a periwinkle\u2019 \u2013 might sound quite creepy, but they\u2019re actually well-intentioned: the periwinkle, in Ukrainian culture, symbolises loyalty and eternal love.<span class=\""Apple-converted-space"\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<iframe title=\""\u041d\u0435\u0441\u0435\" nese=\"\" halya=\"\" vodu=\"\" ukrainian=\"\" folk=\"\" song=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/g596K8QOTyE?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3 class=\""p1"\">Plyve Kacha<\/h3>\n<p class=\""p1"\">Its lyrics are Transcarpathian \u2013 one of the most archaic dialects in the Ukrainian language, with many borrowings from Hungarian<span class=\""Apple-converted-space"\">\u00a0 <\/span>\u2013 so they\u2019re not the easiest for Ukrainian learners to understand. However, it\u2019s not hard to grasp the flavour of this song, which<span class=\""Apple-converted-space"\">\u00a0 <\/span>\u2013 with its central image of a duck crossing water as a symbol of death \u2013<span class=\""Apple-converted-space"\">\u00a0 <\/span>laments the dangers and the price of war.<span class=\""Apple-converted-space"\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Pikkardiyska\" tertsiya=\"\" plyve=\"\" kacha=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""150"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-KNHAXbH_nY?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<section class=\""highlight\"> <div class=\""highlight__content\" editor-content=\"\"> <p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/musical-terms\/what-is-folk-music\/"\"><b>What is folk music?<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/russian-folk-songs\/"\"><b>Russian folk songs: 10 of the best<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/english-folk-songs\/"\"><b>English folk sons: 10 of the best<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-american-folk-songs\/"\"><span style=\""color:\"><b><u>American folk songs: 10 of the best<\/u><\/b><\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> <\/p><\/div> <\/section> <h3 class=\""p1"\">Nich yaka misyachna<\/h3>\n<p class=\""p1"\">Written in the 19th century by the writer Mykhailo Starytsky and the composer Mykola Lysenko, \u2018Nich yaka misyachna\u2019 (\u2018What a Moonlit Night\u2019) is one of Ukraine\u2019s best-known love songs, as famous for its gentle melody as it is for its image-rich poetry: \u2018The sky is deep, all covered in stars\/The fine dew under the poplars twinkles like pearls\/The night is so moonlit, so starry, so bright\/There\u2019s so much light you could gather needles.\u2019 A poignant video from last year shows a Kharkiv City Opera violinist in a bomb shelter playing this song to her fellow shelterees; it gained millions of views.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""A\" girl=\"\" in=\"\" a=\"\" bomb=\"\" shelter=\"\" plays=\"\" moonlit=\"\" night=\"\" on=\"\" the=\"\" violin.=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cSkUJ5kmTzo?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3 class=\""p1"\">Oi, u haiu pry Dunaiu<\/h3>\n<p class=\""p1"\">For some Ukrainians, the Danube plays the same role as the River Styx does for the Greeks. It certainly seems to in \u2018Oi, u haiu pry Dunaiu\u2019 (\u2018In the grove, by the Danube\u2019), a song of mourning about the death of a lover. The music is highly evocative, as are the lyrics, which mingle images of death and mourning with symbols of freedom (\u2019In the forest near the Danube river, I am standing all alone, crying. I want to fly like a bird to where my lover is now. And the nightingale is singing.\u2019).<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""\u041e\u0439\" in=\"\" the=\"\" grove=\"\" by=\"\" danube=\"\" ukrainian=\"\" folk=\"\" song=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/wIL6uAuI1dA?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3 class=\""p1"\">Oi, Marichko<\/h3>\n<p class=\""p1"\">This song from Western Ukraine, which translates as (\u2018Oh, Marichka\u2019) takes the form of a conversation between a girl who is pretending to be shy and a boy who wants to spend more time with her. Upbeat and lively, it\u2019s a popular wedding song.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""\u041e\u0439,\" width=\""200"\" height=\""150"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/AiB2p0oM8aw?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<section class=\""highlight\"> <div class=\""highlight__content\" editor-content=\"\"> <p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/french-christmas-songs\/"\"><b>French Christmas songs: 8 of the best<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/polish-christmas-carols\/"\">Polish Christmas carols: 7 of the best<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<b\/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> <\/p><\/div> <\/section> <h2 class=\""p1"\">10. Chervona ruta<\/h2>\n<p class=\""p1"\">Written in 1968 by the 20th century songwriter Volodymyr Ivasyuk, this inclusion, (\u2018Red Rue\u2019 in English), possibly stretches the definition of folk music, but it is one of the most popular songs in Ukraine, so it\u2019s going in the pot anyway. According to legend, the rue plant turns red on the Day of Ivana Kupala for a few minutes and the girl that finds that flower will be happy in love.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Chervona\" ruta=\"\" sub=\"\" esp=\"\" eng=\"\" ukr=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6kGOBNTFj8g?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" web-share=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<p><em>Photo: Getty<\/em><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p> Our round up of the best and most famous Ukrainian folk songs <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":24974,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"5"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/02\/ukrainian-folk-songs-10-of-the-best.jpg",1890,1260,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/02\/ukrainian-folk-songs-10-of-the-best-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/02\/ukrainian-folk-songs-10-of-the-best-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/02\/ukrainian-folk-songs-10-of-the-best-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/02\/ukrainian-folk-songs-10-of-the-best-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/02\/ukrainian-folk-songs-10-of-the-best-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2023\/02\/ukrainian-folk-songs-10-of-the-best.jpg",1890,1260,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Our round up of the best and most famous Ukrainian folk songs","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/24973"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

Best Ukrainian folk songs<\/h2>\n