# Majhna sem bila

"Majhna sem bila" ("When I Was Little") is a Slovenian folk song remembering childhood: a little girl herds the cheeping chicks and grows — until her father says he'll sell the mother hen, and she cries.

## At a glance

| | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Slovenia |
| Sung in | Slovenian |
| Words by | Traditional |
| First known | Slovenian folk song; author unknown |
| Best for ages | 2–7 |
| Mood | traditional |
| Page | https://littlesongbook.com/songs/majhna-sem-bila/ |

## Lyrics

### Verse 1 (sl)

Majhna sem bila,
piške sem pasla,
piške so čivkale,
jaz sem pa rasla.

### Verse 2 (sl)

Očka so djal,
da 'vjo koklo prodal,
piške so čivkale,
jaz pa jokala.

### English translation (en)

When I was little,
I herded the chicks,
the chicks were cheeping,
and I was growing.

Daddy said
he'd sell the mother hen,
the chicks were cheeping,
and I was crying.

## Common questions

**What is "Majhna sem bila" about?**

Looking back on being small. The singer remembers that when she was little she herded the chicks; the chicks cheeped, and she grew alongside them. Then her father says he'll sell the mother hen, and the little girl cries — a small, sharp memory of a childhood loss.

**Why does she cry?**

Because selling the mother hen means breaking up the little brood she has been caring for — a first taste of how the grown-up world of buying and selling can take away something a child loves. It is a gentle, wistful song rather than a cheerful one.

**Who wrote "Majhna sem bila"?**

No author is recorded; it is a Slovenian folk song, carried down by ear.

## Sources

- [Wikivir — Karel Štrekelj: Slovenske ljudske pesmi, Pesmi otroške (Majhna sem bila)](https://sl.wikisource.org/wiki/Pesmi_otro%C5%A1ke)