''Koit'' (

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

...

: "Dawn") is a song by

Tõnis Mägi Tõnis Mägi (born 18 November 1948 in Tallinn) is an Estonian singer, guitarist, composer and actor. He is one of the most influential and remarkable names in Estonian rock music of the past 40 years. More recently, he is known for his politi ...

, written in September 1988 and made popular during the

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

Singing Revolution The Singing Revolution was a series of events from 1987 to 1991 that led to the restoration of independence of the three Soviet-occupied Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania at the end of the Cold War. The term was coined by a ...

. It is often seen as Mägi's

signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...

. The song is a

protest song A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for protest and social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre. ...

, promoting the aims of Estonians looking to secede from the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. The lyric is quite allusive, with references to a "new dawn" breaking. The final lines, however, make Mägi's point explicit, as he sings (in translation): ''Land, land of my fathers, so sacred a land'' ''Which must now be free'' ''Our song, our song of freedom will sound'' ''And you will see a free Estonia.'' The song is frequently performed at the Estonian Laulupidu and other patriotic events.

References

Estonian songs Estonian patriotic songs Songs in Estonian {{Estonia-stub