As it was presented by KOLO, the Serbian national dance troupe in 1955, the first verse of Oj lele Stara planino was sung while walking; then another (instrumental) melody kicked in, and Šestorka the dance started in earnest. It is not clear whether the song and dance were associated in ‘village’ dances, or were assembled as part of a ‘package’ for the KOLO performance. However, when Dick Crum taught Šestorka in 1955 based on the KOLO performance, he began the dance with this song. Although most recreational folk dancers include the song as part of the dance, most Serbian immigrant clubs do not.
Oj, lele, Stara planino, Hey, you Stara Planina [mountains], //po teb'sam često hodio// over you I am often going. s devojkom ovce čuvao! with my girl I herd sheep! Kad jutrom podžem niz selo, As in the morning I wander in the village, pogledam sebi za selo: I see you (the mountains) near the village: u selu kolo igraše, In the village a kolo is being danced, u kolo moja devojka. [here] in the kolo is my girl. Ona mi kolo vodžaše, My she, the kolo leads, (or) Najnapred kolo vodžaše, (or) In front of the kolo she leads, ona mi kolo igraše, my she, the kolo dances, (or) u pesmi mene pominje: (or) in songs she remembers me: u pesmi mene pominje: in songs she remembers me: "Kude si da si, Stojane!" "Where are you, Stojan!"
Folkdance Footnotes 