Nema kola, moj mili jarane – Gorica, Janj, BiH

Rista Vojinović – Lead voice/prvi glas
Rajka Vojinović, Petar Žiža– Bass/bas

Janj is a geographical, historical, and cultural area of the western part of Central Bosnia (Bosnia and Herzegovina). It is located between the Vrbas River, the Pliva River, and the Vitorog Mountain. The name of the area comes from the small but beautiful river Janj, the tributary of Pliva. It is inhabited primarily by the Orthodox Serbs.
The uniqueness of the Janj area lies in its strong roots in tradition. Many aspects of the culture including folk costumes, craft, music, or traditional working methods (such as working with draft horses and cutting grass with a scythe to provide food for animals) are still cultivated and constitute the common identity of the Janjani. What particularly enchanted us was the unique singing with a very powerful, deep emission.

“Nema kola moj mio jarane” represents a traditional shepherd song typical for the whole Dinaric area. The main topics of the songs are nature, everyday life, and interaction with other members of the village community.

Lyrics (ENG):
Joj, it's not a real kolo, my friend
Joj, without aprons left in the kolo
Mother, can you see the man over there? He is riding the white horse
The grass withers underneath its hoof, he is dying for me
Oj, Natpolje, at the foot of Ravna Gora
Spread up like the Adriatic Sea
Fall, tear, fall down the face
When the group from Gorica is singing

Lyrics (SR):
Joj, nema kola, jojoj
Nema kola, moj mio jarane
Joj, dok u kolu, jojoj
Dok u kolu pregača ne mane
Vidiš, majko, onoga, jaši konja bijeloga
Pod kopitom trava vene, umire za mene
Oj, Natpolje, ispod Ravne Gore
Pružilo se ko Jadransko more
Oj, Natpolje ispod Ravne Gore
Pružilo se ko Jadransko more
Kani suzo, poteci niz lice
Kad zapjeva grupa sa Gorice
Kani, suzo, poteci niz lice
Kad zapjeva grupa sa Gorice

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About us – Balkan Polyphony is a field research project that collects traditional music from the Balkan area. We are not interested in any ideologies, we don’t take sides in any historical conflicts. What interests us is traditional culture and its musical intricacies.