Lemko songs are the distinctive song tradition of the Lemkos, one of the indigenous ethnographic groups of Ukrainian highlanders who have lived from time immemorial in Lemkivshchyna — the western Carpathians. These songs stand out for their special melodiousness, tenderness, and a distinctive dialectal colour.
The themes of Lemko songs embrace love, family, labour, the beauty of the mountain landscape, and the bitterness of separation. They took on a special, tragic resonance in the 20th century, after the forced deportations of the Lemkos from their native lands. One Lemko song — “Plyve kacha” — became a requiem for the Heavenly Hundred and is now known throughout Ukraine. Lemko song is a precious part of the Ukrainian cultural heritage, carefully preserved and promoted by folk ensembles and the descendants of the resettled.
