This traditional Lithuanian folk song, recorded by the influential 19th-century scholar Jonas Basanavičius (1851-1927), represents a significant element of Lithuania's intangible cultural heritage. Sung by villagers from Dziegcioriai, the song exemplifies how oral traditions preserve cultural knowledge, values, and emotional experiences across generations.

The title, which translates as "The Mother Sent, the Heart Sent, to the Waters of the Danube," immediately establishes key themes found throughout Baltic folk traditions: the connection between family relationships, emotional experience, and natural elements. The reference to the Danube River is particularly interesting, as it demonstrates how geographical features can take on symbolic significance even in regions where they are not physically present, likely entering Lithuanian folklore through broader European cultural exchanges.

The song's structure and content would typically reflect traditional Lithuanian folk music characteristics, including pentatonic scales, parallel harmonies, and themes related to family relationships, agricultural cycles, or emotional experiences. Such songs often feature repeated melodic phrases with subtle variations, creating both familiarity and continuous development throughout the piece.

Basanavičius's work in documenting such folk expressions was crucial to the Lithuanian National Revival movement, which sought to preserve and celebrate Lithuanian cultural identity during a period when it was threatened by Russification policies under Tsarist rule. The preservation of these cultural expressions by the Lietuvių literatūros ir tautosakos instituto Lietuvių tautosakos archyvas (Lithuanian Folklore Archives of the Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore) ensures this heritage remains accessible for future study and appreciation.