Native Music Sharing Meme
Saturday, 20 June 2015 20:48![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aletheiafelineaSome time ago we – ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
hamsterwoman and me – shared some faved songs, which lead us to a thought it would be interesting to see what people in a country X (or even better from different places in the world) think is “the music from the country Y” and compare it to the actual opinion of people from Y. And we decided it deserves a meme. You're welcome to join the game, wherever you come from! The more participants, the more interesting results will be! And let's have it clear up front: don't you dare thinking “It's not for me, I'm not 'native' or 'ethnic' or whatever, and you all have the Beatles and whatnot up to here already”. There's no country and no person without a culture and what is transparent to you, can be exotic for others. You never know. That's actually the point of the meme – things that feel totally cliché and worn to you, can be totally fresh and cool for people from the world's other end. Or not, but this is also what we want to find out. ;)
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Okay, let's down to it. My opening meme is about Polish songs. From Poland, you know. :) I'm not really what you could call a music fan in general, and most certainly not an expert, so I chose a very personal approach. These are just some of my faves, which may or may not be representative for some parts of Polish music. Not to mention I did my best to cropa lot a little this selection to keep the whole entry in relatively sane (and postable) size... Also, ‘faves’ is a very broad term here, spanning from “Always on my mp3” to “Glad to hear them and telling them ‘Hi! Long time no hear!’ when being aired somewhere”. You can take your guesses about which are which…
Most of lyrics are hidden under spoiler tags, so you can open one at time, and when it's getting overall too long to scroll, you can close the tags again by reloading the whole page.
The order is chronological, oldest to newest pieces (which means the song's age, not necessarily the performance's).
ETA
I was let to know some of the embedded players aren't displayed in some browsers. IE 9 or newer manages the best, but Chrome probably won't make it, and Firefox can have problems too. If that's also your case, try links I've added in these places. After following the link, the player should run immediately (not counting the time for buffering).
Karuzela z Madonnami (Carousel with Madonnas)
How old: lyrics published in 1956; first performed as song in 1963
How popular in Poland: quite a lot, for the given value of 'popular'; it's unlikely that a fan of sung poetry never heard at least three versions, but it's not really mainstream, though makes its way there at times, as is the case on the video I've brought.
Performed by: originally by Ewa Demarczyk, and after that by everyone and their hamster, since it's deemed a true artistic challenge for any aspiring singer. The video I brought is the version sung in 2005 by Olga “Kora” Jackowska, mostly known for being the voice of Maanam, one of the best/most important/popular Polish rock groups.
It was written – as a poem not really supposed for singing – by Miron Białoszewski, a poet of sort that gets Nobel prizes, makes it into encyclopedias and is taught in schools. He didn't get a Nobel, but has ticked off everything else. I don't really think a perfect performance of Karuzela exists, or at least I haven't heard it yet. All have something the other have not. But at the end of day, everything I really care about when I hear another one is how the given artist managed with the “Magnifikat!” line (you'll see). The performance of Kora, the exact one on the video, I watched for the first time on TV, ten years ago, and I was blown away. Recently I happily found out someone had it recorded and put it on YT, so here it is, enjoy. I hope. ^^
Here's the original lyrics. (It's the whole text of Białoszewski's poem, but Kora's version is abridged.)
The American group Faun Fables made an English version of it in 2004, and it's relatively not so far from the original meaning as poetry translations go.
~*~
Port Amsterdam
How old: 1964 (original)
How much popular in Poland: comparable to “Karuzela z Madonnami” level, I think, or a little less; mind you, it's mostly known in the Polish version.
Performed by: originally by Jacques Brel; here by Katarzyna Groniec
OK, I'm cheating, it's not really a Polish song. However, after Brel’s written it, it's been spreading all over Europe, probably the most popular version being David Bowie's, but there was many more. For me it's always and forever “Port Amsterdam”, not “Amsterdam” or else, and only by Katarzyna Groniec, who is one of my favorite voices. I know no one more precise and meticulous on interpretation and more in control of voice than her.
The Polish lyrics by Wojciech Młynarski is more rewritten than translated. (A few words under the link differs from what Groniec sings, but these are very minor changes). You'll find also the French original under the link.
There's a port huge like a world, called Amsterdam.
Sailors have been singing their songs there for ages.
There's a world-like port, sailors sleep there,
like a faraway fjord sleeps before waves' hum awakens it.
There's a port huge like a world, sailors die there.
They die every morning, drinking beer and swearing.
There's a port huge like a world, called Amsterdam.
New sailors have been born there for ages.
For ages sailors have been dragging themselves off from their ships.
A tablecloth wide like a world waits for them in every tavern.
They bare their teeth ready to bite into the night,
into pale fish underbellies, into the fat moon and the fate.
Everything falls into their greedy paws to be devoured.
Grease drips - splat, splat - from fish livers and hearts.
Then, stiff drunk, they go away, somewhere into the darkness,
hiccups and laugh spilling from their guts all around.
There's a port huge like a world, called Amsterdam.
Sailors have been dancing their dances there for ages.
They like it, all right, no two ways about it,
rubbing their bellies against their ladies'.
Then whack on someone's head so that it breaks in half,
for he grumbled, moron, at the accordion's dull cry.
It already let out its last breath, too,
and then there's tablecloth and grease again, the hiccup and laugh.
There's a port huge like a world, called Amsterdam.
Sailors have been drinking ladies' health there for ages,
December or May, they drink every night,
the health of ladies who for gold open them a paradise.
And gin, vodka and grog, and grog, vodka and gin
light a fire in their eyes, give them wings,
so they could fly high, up there,
from where one spits down onto the world and the port Amsterdam.
~*~
Matura (The High-School Exit Exam)
How old: 1966
How popular in Poland: evergreen so much that you can calibrate 'green' by this.
Written and performed by: the group Czerwone Gitary
They're like Polish Beatles – you may like them or not, but you know them. And this is one of my childhood's songs (as most of theirs; my father’s been a fan). Though somehow I don't think it will get outdated any soon. Or ever. *g* Even if the music has aged a little. Now, the thing is that it works best in the version aired on radio in 1966 (the exact one I've brought, consider yourself lucky). Later versions on official albums has been stripped of the spoken additions and made all neat & sweet, and that's why they don't count, nope, nuh-uh, thanks.
(Link in case the player is not displayed.)
The original lyrics on the group's official site (yeah, they keep existing as a group, unbelievably. What's a dead member or two, anyway).
Hey, the matura's in a year. (Whoa, that's plenty of time!)
In half a year,
not long, closer and closer,
in half a year.
The prom has passed (I'm getting down to the work.)
with a bang!
The time is running and the matura
is closer and closer.
The matura's in a month. (Yup, starting to study for serious.)
Two weeks,
not long, closer and closer,
two weeks.
Oi, the matura's in a day. (Gosh, what will it be?!)
In an hour,
not long, closer and closer,
just in a moment!
“So, boys, thumbs crossed!”
“Okay, okay! Go, we're keepin' them crossed!”
“Go! Good luck!”
“Break a leg!”
“Nah, come on... Good luck, good luck.”
“So, what you think? He'll pass, right?”
“Well, I think he will.”
“Yeah, anyway he was studying the math with me the whole year.”
“And with me the physics, half a year.”
“Sure... And the exams are easy now...”
“This year.”
“Right, he sure won't have any problems.”
“No way! Surely not!”
“Then again, you know, he had a teeny bit roving eye for girls, recently.”
“Okay, but he knows one examiner, so...”
“Oh, he'll pass then! Sure, he'll pass, yeah, he'll pass.”
“And the examiner likes his song, Such [a girl] like you...” [Yep, that's an actual song, another one of Czerwone Gitary.]
“Hush, hush! He's coming! So, how it was?”
“Well, what's up? Come on, speak!”
“Ehhh...”
The matura's in a year again,
the whole year.
Not long, closer and closer (but)
in a whole year.
~*~
Jaskółka uwięziona (A Captured Swallow)
How old: 1973
How much popular in Poland: more or less like “Karuzela z Madonnami”, again.
Performed by: originally Stan Borys; I prefer Robert Janowski (famous last words... *looks around nervously*)
No, seriously. I'm committing a blasphemy here, but I really like his voice (not only in this song) over Borys' half-legendary, first and original performance, older by some three decades. What can I say... *shrug* Maybe only that I really wish Janowski's version got some decent recording instead of this one, with badly adjusted volume of the music vs the singer's track. One can barely pick him out of this noise... *sigh* (It helps if you lower the player’s default volume.) Also, his version's lyrics is abridged.
(Link in case the player is not displayed.)
The original lyrics on Stan Borys' official site (at the page's bottom).
A swallow, black dagger pulled out of the wind's breast,
the sudden anchor of sadness from an invisible ship.
The cathedral has trapped her into its vault's web,
the solid of stone as death, the rectangle of aisles as sentence.
The swallow, a lightning in the dead church,
like black scissors is cutting the fear overwhelming her.
The swallow, sister of storm, a grief soaring
over the heads of people with their concerns.
The swallow, sky-high mark, elusive like a sign,
an omen and a prayer lured into the cathedral's chill. [Janowski ends here.]
She won't cut through the white silence under a leaden cloud,
won't descend her flight over a meadow's golden patch.
This moment that stole her freedom, frightens me.
The swallow, black diamond, thrown here by the devil.
For an eternal whirling, for a silent torment,
for never-knowing of a nest, for damning of beauty.
For never-knowing of a nest, for damnation – beautiful.
~*~
Ciągle pada (It Keeps Raining)
How old: 1974
How much popular in Poland: every time it's raining, you have it almost warranted some radio station is airing it. *g*
Written and performed by: the group Czerwone Gitary; with help of the group Alibabki
Because this list is becoming disturbingly depressing, so I'll better give you something cheering up.
The original lyrics on the group's official site.
It keeps raining.
The street tarmac is slippery today like a fish belly.
The wet sky is descending lower and lower
to see itself in the water rippled by the rain.
And I... (or: And me?)
And I'm walking.
I'm soaking recklessly and defiantly.
I'm looking in the sky, catching raindrops in my mouths.
Faces flattened against windows are staring at me.
Never mind.
It keeps raining
People are running, afraid of the rain so much.
They are standing in a gateway, barely fitting inside.
People are jumping across puddles on their way.
And I...
And I'm walking,
not caring about the downpour and in no hurry,
feeling raindrops caressing my lips.
My umbrella closed in my hand, I'm walking, oh, yes.
It keeps raining.
Streams of water are running down the alleys.
Some couple has covered themselves with a raincoat,
they are watching lilacs getting wet in a garden.
And I...
And I'm walking,
in torrents of rain, but with my head high.
No power is forcing me or rushing.
I'm walking like a herald of the storm, a flower in my hand, oh, yes.
It keeps raining.
Suddenly the heavens have opened with fire,
then the rain has begun lashing at a slant.
Maple leaves have trembled in fright.
And I...
And I'm walking.
And I'm not afraid of the gale or storm,
or a thunder that struck some nearby trees.
I'm listening to the everchanging tune of the wind.
~*~
Uśmiech Mona Lisy (The Smile of Mona Lisa
How old: The song is so little known that it's hard to determine its age solely from online sources... Before 1979 for certain, possibly between 1961-1978.
How much popular in Poland: a very little known song of a very much known singer, at least a generation or two ago; as far as I know it was aired decades ago on the public radio, and then got forgotten, until it was discovered around 2008 by some archaeological excavation in the myth-shrouded, cavernous archives of the radio and published on CD with other findings...
Performed by: Anna German
She was a transnational superstar (singing mostly in Polish, Russian and Italian) in the Eastern Europe in 60s and 70s. I'm not really a fan, but my mother is, and I love this one song. (Though as I said, it's one of the least known of her, so if you want more representative sample, I'd say Tańczące Eurydyki (Dancing Eurydices) is German's maybe most popular of all. Give it a try, it fully shows her voice's ability!)
The original lyrics (because all sites out there – and this includes the lines on the embedded video – seem to have it copied from the same unknown source full of misheards. Not that I'm 100% sure I avoided them on my part... But I think I can warrant 99%).
Mrok się zakrada w gotyk framugi, szalem swym gasi podcienia.
Ostatnim blaskiem złocą się smugi zachodzącego spojrzenia.
W czerń się wtuliły usta i oczy, uśmiech zastygły na wargach.
Ktoś tu z daleka ku tobie kroczy, może to cień Leonarda.
Niebo posłuszne twym barwom wzbiło je ponad cokoły.
Z dróg swoich wróć, Leonardo, żeby rozśpiewać anioły.
Gwiazdy jak srebrna paleta, tyś je na sznurek nanizał.
Z ram wypłowiałych portretu wita cię znów Mona Lisa.
Na skrzypcach wiatru jesień przygrywa, płótna rozwiesza jak żagle.
Koncert deszczowy dzwoni o szyby. Czemu odchodzisz tak nagle?
Nim świt rozjaśni oczy twej damy, noc się w ich głębi przegląda,
aż znów zastygnie spowita w ramy - Gioconda, twoja Gioconda.
Niebo posłuszne twym barwom wzbiło je ponad cokoły.
Z dróg swoich wróć, Leonardo, żeby rozśpiewać anioły,
żeby rozszumieć strumienie. Nim pierwsza gwiazda się zniży,
wszystkie postrącać na ziemię, pod stopy twej Mona Lisy.
Darkness is creeping into the frame's gothic, dousing porticoes with its shawl.
Smudges of the setting gaze are glittering with the last shine.
The mouth and eyes has snuggled into blackness, the smile set on lips.
Someone's walking toward you from the distance, maybe it's Leonardo's shadow.
The heaven obedient to your hues rose them above plinths.
Come back from your wanderings, Leonardo, to make angels sing.
Stars are like a silver palette; you've strung them in line.
Mona Lisa is welcoming you again from between the portrait’s faded frames.
Autumn is playing the violin of wind, spreading canvases like sails.
Rain concert is tinkling against windows. Why do you leave in such haste?
Before the dawn lightens up your lady's eyes, the night mirrors in their depth,
until she becomes still again, wrapped in the frames - Gioconda, your Gioconda.
The heaven obedient to your hues rose them above plinths.
Come back from your wanderings, Leonardo, to make angels sing,
to make streams rustle. Before the first star descends,
knock them all down, under your Mona Lisa's feet.
~*~
Nie wierz nigdy kobiecie (Never Believe a Woman)
How old: 1980 (officially published in 1982)
How much popular in Poland: one of more (but not most) popular songs of one of the most popular Polish groups ever; evergreen for sure, though probably not in the first three replies, if you ask about a piece of this group, especially that it's not the singer they are most associated with.
Performed by: the group Budka Suflera; Romuald Czystaw sings.
I like the melancholic atmosphere. I don't like, though, reading comments on it out there. It's disappointing to see dimwits interpreting it literally; it's like they hear only the refrain, and not the whole thing.
The original lyrics on the group's official site.
This man's gaze was somewhat distrait.
He asked for a light, staring somewhere in the darkness,
then he inhaled the smoke and, before the night concealed him, he said:
“Never believe a woman, my good advice for you.
Nothing worse on this world happens to us.
Never believe a woman, don't give an inch,
because you'll be lost before you realize your mistake,
barely you get your mistake, you're done.”
Around us the whole city was just going to sleep.
Only what I got of all this something's off about him.
My home was two blocks away.
I wanted to sleep, but I hardly could.
Something made me keep hearing his voice:
“Never believe a woman, my good advice for you...”
It had been dark that time, and now I'm not sure
whether it was his face I saw in the news today, or someone other's...
~*~
Szklana pogoda (Glass Weather)
How old: 1983
How much popular in Poland: arguably the most popular piece of a group that was maybe in top five or so of Polish rock scene in 80s; you don't hear it very often anymore, but if you pick a random Pole, they probably heard it before, unless they're really young.
Written and performed by: the group Lombard; Małgorzata Ostrowska sings.
May or may not be considered a protest song, but in 80s half of Polish rock was protest songs anyway. It's one of those things hard to translate, every word heavy from cultural connotations. But I hope at least some of the cynical atmosphere of urban dystopia seeps through. The video is the original clip from 1983 and the singer poses here for a TV news presenter, as in: public TV. That's why the exaggeratedly cold, detached stiffness and corporate look, deliberately contrasted with the voice, and very unlike Ostrowska's usual that days. *g*
The original lyrics on the group's official site.
Above a huge concrete village,
the solar lightbulb is slowly going out.
Towards the huge concrete village,
twilight is stalking on feline paws.
Pensive waiting madonnas
already abandoned queues.
They're coming back to shrines,
to TVs with the weather forecast.
Glass weather.
Windows are blue from TVs.
Glass weather.
A humorless tumbler is coming.
Bolts and locks will secure doors,
glass peephole will inspect visitors.
The night is not scary anymore,
when you've got three padlocks ready.
Lifts are humming their lullaby,
a neighbor is rattling a prayer.
Maybe he'll manage once more
to survive the night and crawl to dawn.
~*~
Jaka róża, taki cierń (As Rose, as Thorn)
How old: 1984
How much popular in Poland: a generation ago, very much, same as the singer; now, not really, though it's a likely choice for a nostalgic festival.
Performed by: Edyta Geppert; I don’t know and I don’t want to know other performances.
One of two songs that are sure to bring me to tears, every damned time. (The other, and even more effective on me, being the Russian Песенка о голубом шарике / Pesenka o golubom sharike / A ditty about a blue baloon by Bulat Okudzhava, but I heard it first sung (still in Russian) by a Polish singer Magda Umer.)
The the original lyrics on Geppert’s official site.
She was angry when he slammed the door.
A cry inside, dry tears in eyes.
She thought, ah yes, the old scheme comes again.
This is their famous land, two by three, hired place.
Maybe it sounds ridiculous, but she had nothing anymore.
Three dozens of bad years.
What was painful, now disappeared.
Still, the pain...
As morning, as day - nothing to wonder at.
As water, as shore - nothing to wonder at.
As bedding, as dreams - nothing to wonder at.
Even what is there.
As heart, as fear - nothing to wonder at.
As weakness, as sin - nothing to wonder at.
As means, as generosity - nothing to wonder at.
Even what is there.
As rose, as thorn - nothing to wonder at.
As betrayal, as anger - nothing to wonder at.
As stone, as blow - nothing to wonder at.
As life, as death.
Rose, rose, the world is ours, we'll stay forever young.
The night is whirling around us; look, I've silenced the fear.
The foolish love, the ill love has no power on me.
The wind will catch my hair; ten floors and then darkness.
As life, as death - nothing to wonder at.
As betrayal, as anger - nothing to wonder at.
As stone, as hit - nothing to wonder at.
Even what is there, what pulls out of us all words, all calm of hearts.
~*~
Skóra (Leather)
How old: 1984
How much popular in Poland: I keep hearing it now and then, in stations for older hits.
Written and performed by: the group Aya RL; Paweł Kukiz sings
Fun fact: the dude singing it ran for president this year, and got the third place. Not that it makes the song any better or worse… *shrugs*
The original lyrics.
I'm standing on the street with her, face to face.
Someone is passing by, jostling against us, spitting with his stare.
I'm whispering: “Look, Babe, the civilized world.”
Then I'm embracing her, we're floating together away.
No stranger's voice can be heard, the time is flowing slowly.
We're floating into the abyss of stars. Hum with me, Babe.
Tam ta tam...
I'm standing on the street with her, laughs surrounding us.
Someone is passing by, jostling against us, spitting on Babe's face.
I'm saying aloud: “Look, Babe, the civilized world!”
Then I'm resetting his nose. He fell down, but got up again.
A hundred voices around: “The one in leather is a rogue!”
Then I was alone today. Hum with me, Babe.
Tam ta tam...
Then I'm embracing her...
~*~
Lipstick on the Glass
How old: 1985
How much popular in Poland: again, a not most but also not least popular piece of a group being in Polish Top Groups of Ever; a little forgotten now, I think.
Written and performed by: the group Maanam; Olga “Kora” Jackowska sings.
Because they deserve something of their own here, actually representative for them, not just Karuzela z madonnami. They made also an English version of the song. Personally I prefer the Polish one, because, is it just me, or when singing in English her voice rises up and loses this feline drawl?
Polish
English
The Polish and the English lyrics on the group's official site. Also, one small detail which may or may not matter for you, there's a difference between the last parts of both lyrics. Where in English it's: She's leaving but she's left her smile, her lips, her breath. She'll come back just the same and ask me once again, in Polish it goes: You're leaving but you've left a trace of lipstick on the glass. Doesn't matter she'll come and ask [me] once again. All persons are female as well, though.
~*~
Zostawcie Titanica (Leave Titanic Alone / Let Titanic Be)
How old: 1988
How much popular in Poland: same as the previous one, an evergreen of another group of top groups on Polish scene of 80s and 90s, though as Nie wierz nigdy kobiecie unlikely to be mentioned as the first association for being not quite their usual style.
Performed by: the group Lady Pank; Janusz Panasewicz sings.
Written after the French-American expedition in 1987 brought ashore objects from the wreck.
Here's the original lyrics.
I believe they keep dancing,
they live their life, and they'll reach the destination they want.
And I believe in their underwater world,
and the orchestra that kept playing, still does.
A beautiful actress tries her necklace on.
A waiter stumbled, falls face down into a cake.
It's not true they aren't anymore.
They keep sailing, just slower, like dreams do.
And you're wrong, you won't find them.
They already sailed so many miles, so many days they danced.
A young millionaire has fallen in love today.
The ball has just begun, everybody's dancing, so...
don't interrupt it!
Leave Titanic alone!
Don't drag her out.
The music keeps playing there, and they keep dancing.
The beautiful actress winks,
and the young millionaire knocks at her door.
Let them dream!
Leave Titanic alone!
Don't drag her out.
The music keeps playing there, and they dream in dance.
They dream unsinkably, they dream unreachably, the unsinkable, unreachable dream.
~*~
Dzieci (Children)
How old: 1993
How much popular in Poland: mainstream, still aired every now and often; I'd say it's considered a better-level and less-cheesy mainstream, think less Britney Spears, more Nick Cave.
Written and performed by: the group Elektryczne Gitary; Kuba Sienkiewicz sings.
Because I think about this often when I read or watch news, discussions and such...
The original lyrics on the group's official site.
Children merrily ran out of the school,
lit up cigarettes and pulled out bottles,
spat the pavement all over and drove people away.
Now they're sitting on benches and bellowing to each other.
It goes to our heads that we live (or: we went nuts because of that we live)
Hey hey la la la la hey hey hey hey
It goes to our heads that we live
Hey hey la la la la hey hey hey hey
Tons of paper, volumes of analyses,
genial ideas, crowds in the hall,
hours of prayers, years of studies,
oaths, plans, signatures, forms.
Standards, exemplars, noble efforts,
chains of hands, solid ranks,
layers of tradition, ages of culture,
kindness week, hands up!
Children merrily ran out of school...
~*~
Lament nieboszczyków (Dead's Lamentation)
How old: ...somewhere between 1919 and 1999?
How much popular in Poland: a fan of sung poetry probably knows it, but if I ever hear it outside the public TV and before 9 p.m., I'll eat my laptop with no salt; that's about the song, though, while the singer (the first one on my list) is among the top Polish actors of recent three decades (the second one's not). Sung poetry genre in Polish is often called also 'piosenka aktorska', literally acting song or actor song, and for a reason.
Performed by: Zbigniew Zamachowski; Mirosław Czyżykiewicz (and many others)
The best sources claim it was written either by Jan Wołek or Przemysław Borkowski for a 1999 dated staging of the play “Dybuk” by Szymon An-ski (aka Shloyme Zanvl Rappoport), which was published in 1919. However, I'm sure as hell I heard it for the first time in 1997, and already as a part of another show, being a compilation of songs by one composer, Jerzy Satanowski (who made also the overall music for the 1999 staging). Maybe they included it there before they managed to launch “Dybuk”?
My favorite performance is by Zamachowski, being that first one I remember from 1997, but I've thrown in Czyżykiewicz for a good measure. You'll see his version has its merits, too. Don’t listen to it before going to bed or around midnight, and don’t say I didn’t warn you. *g*
Zbigniew Zamachowski
(Link in case the player is not displayed.)
Mirosław Czyżykiewicz
(Link in case the player is not displayed.)
The original lyrics.
Life is bad on cemetery.
The dead cry, the wind blows.
Abandoned and lonely,
they moon around, dropping bones.
Unwanted and immortal,
castaways of Coffin Isles.
There’s cry and lament among the monuments,
no one loves the dead.
No one loves, no one weeps,
for they died - get out with them!
For they died, for they're dead,
the wind tilted the crosses, once straight.
I will die some day, I know it for sure,
and what will happen to me then?
Who will want me, who will listen to me,
who will love me as a dead man?
Wolf pelts lay heavy on the dead.
They walk villages, gloomy faced.
No one loves, no one weeps,
for they died - get out with them.
This is the life the dead have,
only for that they died.
~*~
Gdy nie ma dzieci (When the Children/Kids Aren't [Home]
How old: 1998
How much popular in Poland: comparable to “Dzieci” by Elektryczne Gitary, in all aspects.
Written and performed by: the group Kult; Kazik Staszewski sings.
Well, he claims it's autobiographical. *g* The video is the official clip.
The original lyrics on the group's official page (you need to click the title on the list; you can also listen to the song there).
One bottle, second bottle, and third one, dammit, too.
Home's entirely deserted by night and the stuff gathers dust.
We're coming back our wobbly way after the late round.
Hardly possible we make it up the stairs on our own.
All our little ones have left for the holidays.
When the kids aren't home, we're naughty.
The route is well known, one pub to another.
One meets those or others, and we're a little runny-nosed,
if you know what I mean. And by dawn
I drain off, dull-eyed, the last gas-less glass.
All our little ones...
Yet a few days and nights more, and everything will go back to normal.
We'll be orderly and serious, neat and prudent.
But just today and tomorrow, and day after, and yet one more after that,
let us, dear night, give the life a flick on its nose.
~*~
There, fifteen (not that you can't make it fifty in your own. *g* Or just five).
*scratches head* Um, this came off a little surprising. For one, I didn't intend it to be mostly sad, I swear... Turns out my taste is a tiny bit melancholic, or what?
If you liked anything of these, it's worth to check out more of these groups and singers. Any of them isn't in the least a one-hit wonder, and what I brought often isn't even their most popular.
What will you bring? :)
hamsterwoman and me – shared some faved songs, which lead us to a thought it would be interesting to see what people in a country X (or even better from different places in the world) think is “the music from the country Y” and compare it to the actual opinion of people from Y. And we decided it deserves a meme. You're welcome to join the game, wherever you come from! The more participants, the more interesting results will be! And let's have it clear up front: don't you dare thinking “It's not for me, I'm not 'native' or 'ethnic' or whatever, and you all have the Beatles and whatnot up to here already”. There's no country and no person without a culture and what is transparent to you, can be exotic for others. You never know. That's actually the point of the meme – things that feel totally cliché and worn to you, can be totally fresh and cool for people from the world's other end. Or not, but this is also what we want to find out. ;)Used World_flag_map_Version_2.2 by Mason Vank.
Fonts: Magneto by Zavier Cabarga and ToneDeafBB by Nate Piekos.
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Here are the rules aka text for copypasting:
1. The basic idea is sharing the music from where you come, but you can interpret 'native' and 'music' as it fits you best. Traditional or modern. Songs or instrumental pieces. Popular stuff or 'high culture'. Your current place or your old one, if you moved; or both, because why not. One heritage or more, if you're mixed, because why not again, and also the more the merrier.
2. Also the exact formula is up to you! Most representative according to you, or just your favorite (and who says you're not allowed to make it both ways, in two posts? Or as many as you like?). The only 'must be' is that you should provide the recordings, so we can listen to them without searching on our own (for obvious reasons that searching for things one's not familiar with and in a language one doesn't know is sort of hard). Embedded or just links, up to you again. Providing the lyrics (and whatever additional things you think can be interesting) is appreciated, though not obligatory.
3. For commenters: it'll be great if you tell whether you knew already something of the things that OP has shared, and also regardless of that, what did you expect. If you didn't and hadn't any particular expectations, that's okay and you can tell it as well; frankly, it won’t be surprising in most cases and instead will make all “Hey! This one I knew!” even nicer surprises. And if you make your own meme, you're more than welcome to link it in comments under the mother-meme you got the idea from! Linking the mother-meme in your own meme is also appreciated; let's make it a network, so anyone can jump around it and check out different cultures, countries and languages!
Okay, let's down to it. My opening meme is about Polish songs. From Poland, you know. :) I'm not really what you could call a music fan in general, and most certainly not an expert, so I chose a very personal approach. These are just some of my faves, which may or may not be representative for some parts of Polish music. Not to mention I did my best to crop
Most of lyrics are hidden under spoiler tags, so you can open one at time, and when it's getting overall too long to scroll, you can close the tags again by reloading the whole page.
The order is chronological, oldest to newest pieces (which means the song's age, not necessarily the performance's).
ETA
I was let to know some of the embedded players aren't displayed in some browsers. IE 9 or newer manages the best, but Chrome probably won't make it, and Firefox can have problems too. If that's also your case, try links I've added in these places. After following the link, the player should run immediately (not counting the time for buffering).
Karuzela z Madonnami (Carousel with Madonnas)
How old: lyrics published in 1956; first performed as song in 1963
How popular in Poland: quite a lot, for the given value of 'popular'; it's unlikely that a fan of sung poetry never heard at least three versions, but it's not really mainstream, though makes its way there at times, as is the case on the video I've brought.
Performed by: originally by Ewa Demarczyk, and after that by everyone and their hamster, since it's deemed a true artistic challenge for any aspiring singer. The video I brought is the version sung in 2005 by Olga “Kora” Jackowska, mostly known for being the voice of Maanam, one of the best/most important/popular Polish rock groups.
It was written – as a poem not really supposed for singing – by Miron Białoszewski, a poet of sort that gets Nobel prizes, makes it into encyclopedias and is taught in schools. He didn't get a Nobel, but has ticked off everything else. I don't really think a perfect performance of Karuzela exists, or at least I haven't heard it yet. All have something the other have not. But at the end of day, everything I really care about when I hear another one is how the given artist managed with the “Magnifikat!” line (you'll see). The performance of Kora, the exact one on the video, I watched for the first time on TV, ten years ago, and I was blown away. Recently I happily found out someone had it recorded and put it on YT, so here it is, enjoy. I hope. ^^
Here's the original lyrics. (It's the whole text of Białoszewski's poem, but Kora's version is abridged.)
The American group Faun Fables made an English version of it in 2004, and it's relatively not so far from the original meaning as poetry translations go.
Port Amsterdam
How old: 1964 (original)
How much popular in Poland: comparable to “Karuzela z Madonnami” level, I think, or a little less; mind you, it's mostly known in the Polish version.
Performed by: originally by Jacques Brel; here by Katarzyna Groniec
OK, I'm cheating, it's not really a Polish song. However, after Brel’s written it, it's been spreading all over Europe, probably the most popular version being David Bowie's, but there was many more. For me it's always and forever “Port Amsterdam”, not “Amsterdam” or else, and only by Katarzyna Groniec, who is one of my favorite voices. I know no one more precise and meticulous on interpretation and more in control of voice than her.
The Polish lyrics by Wojciech Młynarski is more rewritten than translated. (A few words under the link differs from what Groniec sings, but these are very minor changes). You'll find also the French original under the link.
There's a port huge like a world, called Amsterdam.
Sailors have been singing their songs there for ages.
There's a world-like port, sailors sleep there,
like a faraway fjord sleeps before waves' hum awakens it.
There's a port huge like a world, sailors die there.
They die every morning, drinking beer and swearing.
There's a port huge like a world, called Amsterdam.
New sailors have been born there for ages.
For ages sailors have been dragging themselves off from their ships.
A tablecloth wide like a world waits for them in every tavern.
They bare their teeth ready to bite into the night,
into pale fish underbellies, into the fat moon and the fate.
Everything falls into their greedy paws to be devoured.
Grease drips - splat, splat - from fish livers and hearts.
Then, stiff drunk, they go away, somewhere into the darkness,
hiccups and laugh spilling from their guts all around.
There's a port huge like a world, called Amsterdam.
Sailors have been dancing their dances there for ages.
They like it, all right, no two ways about it,
rubbing their bellies against their ladies'.
Then whack on someone's head so that it breaks in half,
for he grumbled, moron, at the accordion's dull cry.
It already let out its last breath, too,
and then there's tablecloth and grease again, the hiccup and laugh.
There's a port huge like a world, called Amsterdam.
Sailors have been drinking ladies' health there for ages,
December or May, they drink every night,
the health of ladies who for gold open them a paradise.
And gin, vodka and grog, and grog, vodka and gin
light a fire in their eyes, give them wings,
so they could fly high, up there,
from where one spits down onto the world and the port Amsterdam.
Matura (The High-School Exit Exam)
How old: 1966
How popular in Poland: evergreen so much that you can calibrate 'green' by this.
Written and performed by: the group Czerwone Gitary
They're like Polish Beatles – you may like them or not, but you know them. And this is one of my childhood's songs (as most of theirs; my father’s been a fan). Though somehow I don't think it will get outdated any soon. Or ever. *g* Even if the music has aged a little. Now, the thing is that it works best in the version aired on radio in 1966 (the exact one I've brought, consider yourself lucky). Later versions on official albums has been stripped of the spoken additions and made all neat & sweet, and that's why they don't count, nope, nuh-uh, thanks.
(Link in case the player is not displayed.)
The original lyrics on the group's official site (yeah, they keep existing as a group, unbelievably. What's a dead member or two, anyway).
Hey, the matura's in a year. (Whoa, that's plenty of time!)
In half a year,
not long, closer and closer,
in half a year.
The prom has passed (I'm getting down to the work.)
with a bang!
The time is running and the matura
is closer and closer.
The matura's in a month. (Yup, starting to study for serious.)
Two weeks,
not long, closer and closer,
two weeks.
Oi, the matura's in a day. (Gosh, what will it be?!)
In an hour,
not long, closer and closer,
just in a moment!
“So, boys, thumbs crossed!”
“Okay, okay! Go, we're keepin' them crossed!”
“Go! Good luck!”
“Break a leg!”
“Nah, come on... Good luck, good luck.”
“So, what you think? He'll pass, right?”
“Well, I think he will.”
“Yeah, anyway he was studying the math with me the whole year.”
“And with me the physics, half a year.”
“Sure... And the exams are easy now...”
“This year.”
“Right, he sure won't have any problems.”
“No way! Surely not!”
“Then again, you know, he had a teeny bit roving eye for girls, recently.”
“Okay, but he knows one examiner, so...”
“Oh, he'll pass then! Sure, he'll pass, yeah, he'll pass.”
“And the examiner likes his song, Such [a girl] like you...” [Yep, that's an actual song, another one of Czerwone Gitary.]
“Hush, hush! He's coming! So, how it was?”
“Well, what's up? Come on, speak!”
“Ehhh...”
The matura's in a year again,
the whole year.
Not long, closer and closer (but)
in a whole year.
Jaskółka uwięziona (A Captured Swallow)
How old: 1973
How much popular in Poland: more or less like “Karuzela z Madonnami”, again.
Performed by: originally Stan Borys; I prefer Robert Janowski (famous last words... *looks around nervously*)
No, seriously. I'm committing a blasphemy here, but I really like his voice (not only in this song) over Borys' half-legendary, first and original performance, older by some three decades. What can I say... *shrug* Maybe only that I really wish Janowski's version got some decent recording instead of this one, with badly adjusted volume of the music vs the singer's track. One can barely pick him out of this noise... *sigh* (It helps if you lower the player’s default volume.) Also, his version's lyrics is abridged.
(Link in case the player is not displayed.)
The original lyrics on Stan Borys' official site (at the page's bottom).
A swallow, black dagger pulled out of the wind's breast,
the sudden anchor of sadness from an invisible ship.
The cathedral has trapped her into its vault's web,
the solid of stone as death, the rectangle of aisles as sentence.
The swallow, a lightning in the dead church,
like black scissors is cutting the fear overwhelming her.
The swallow, sister of storm, a grief soaring
over the heads of people with their concerns.
The swallow, sky-high mark, elusive like a sign,
an omen and a prayer lured into the cathedral's chill. [Janowski ends here.]
She won't cut through the white silence under a leaden cloud,
won't descend her flight over a meadow's golden patch.
This moment that stole her freedom, frightens me.
The swallow, black diamond, thrown here by the devil.
For an eternal whirling, for a silent torment,
for never-knowing of a nest, for damning of beauty.
For never-knowing of a nest, for damnation – beautiful.
Ciągle pada (It Keeps Raining)
How old: 1974
How much popular in Poland: every time it's raining, you have it almost warranted some radio station is airing it. *g*
Written and performed by: the group Czerwone Gitary; with help of the group Alibabki
Because this list is becoming disturbingly depressing, so I'll better give you something cheering up.
The original lyrics on the group's official site.
It keeps raining.
The street tarmac is slippery today like a fish belly.
The wet sky is descending lower and lower
to see itself in the water rippled by the rain.
And I... (or: And me?)
And I'm walking.
I'm soaking recklessly and defiantly.
I'm looking in the sky, catching raindrops in my mouths.
Faces flattened against windows are staring at me.
Never mind.
It keeps raining
People are running, afraid of the rain so much.
They are standing in a gateway, barely fitting inside.
People are jumping across puddles on their way.
And I...
And I'm walking,
not caring about the downpour and in no hurry,
feeling raindrops caressing my lips.
My umbrella closed in my hand, I'm walking, oh, yes.
It keeps raining.
Streams of water are running down the alleys.
Some couple has covered themselves with a raincoat,
they are watching lilacs getting wet in a garden.
And I...
And I'm walking,
in torrents of rain, but with my head high.
No power is forcing me or rushing.
I'm walking like a herald of the storm, a flower in my hand, oh, yes.
It keeps raining.
Suddenly the heavens have opened with fire,
then the rain has begun lashing at a slant.
Maple leaves have trembled in fright.
And I...
And I'm walking.
And I'm not afraid of the gale or storm,
or a thunder that struck some nearby trees.
I'm listening to the everchanging tune of the wind.
Uśmiech Mona Lisy (The Smile of Mona Lisa
How old: The song is so little known that it's hard to determine its age solely from online sources... Before 1979 for certain, possibly between 1961-1978.
How much popular in Poland: a very little known song of a very much known singer, at least a generation or two ago; as far as I know it was aired decades ago on the public radio, and then got forgotten, until it was discovered around 2008 by some archaeological excavation in the myth-shrouded, cavernous archives of the radio and published on CD with other findings...
Performed by: Anna German
She was a transnational superstar (singing mostly in Polish, Russian and Italian) in the Eastern Europe in 60s and 70s. I'm not really a fan, but my mother is, and I love this one song. (Though as I said, it's one of the least known of her, so if you want more representative sample, I'd say Tańczące Eurydyki (Dancing Eurydices) is German's maybe most popular of all. Give it a try, it fully shows her voice's ability!)
The original lyrics (because all sites out there – and this includes the lines on the embedded video – seem to have it copied from the same unknown source full of misheards. Not that I'm 100% sure I avoided them on my part... But I think I can warrant 99%).
Mrok się zakrada w gotyk framugi, szalem swym gasi podcienia.
Ostatnim blaskiem złocą się smugi zachodzącego spojrzenia.
W czerń się wtuliły usta i oczy, uśmiech zastygły na wargach.
Ktoś tu z daleka ku tobie kroczy, może to cień Leonarda.
Niebo posłuszne twym barwom wzbiło je ponad cokoły.
Z dróg swoich wróć, Leonardo, żeby rozśpiewać anioły.
Gwiazdy jak srebrna paleta, tyś je na sznurek nanizał.
Z ram wypłowiałych portretu wita cię znów Mona Lisa.
Na skrzypcach wiatru jesień przygrywa, płótna rozwiesza jak żagle.
Koncert deszczowy dzwoni o szyby. Czemu odchodzisz tak nagle?
Nim świt rozjaśni oczy twej damy, noc się w ich głębi przegląda,
aż znów zastygnie spowita w ramy - Gioconda, twoja Gioconda.
Niebo posłuszne twym barwom wzbiło je ponad cokoły.
Z dróg swoich wróć, Leonardo, żeby rozśpiewać anioły,
żeby rozszumieć strumienie. Nim pierwsza gwiazda się zniży,
wszystkie postrącać na ziemię, pod stopy twej Mona Lisy.
Darkness is creeping into the frame's gothic, dousing porticoes with its shawl.
Smudges of the setting gaze are glittering with the last shine.
The mouth and eyes has snuggled into blackness, the smile set on lips.
Someone's walking toward you from the distance, maybe it's Leonardo's shadow.
The heaven obedient to your hues rose them above plinths.
Come back from your wanderings, Leonardo, to make angels sing.
Stars are like a silver palette; you've strung them in line.
Mona Lisa is welcoming you again from between the portrait’s faded frames.
Autumn is playing the violin of wind, spreading canvases like sails.
Rain concert is tinkling against windows. Why do you leave in such haste?
Before the dawn lightens up your lady's eyes, the night mirrors in their depth,
until she becomes still again, wrapped in the frames - Gioconda, your Gioconda.
The heaven obedient to your hues rose them above plinths.
Come back from your wanderings, Leonardo, to make angels sing,
to make streams rustle. Before the first star descends,
knock them all down, under your Mona Lisa's feet.
Nie wierz nigdy kobiecie (Never Believe a Woman)
How old: 1980 (officially published in 1982)
How much popular in Poland: one of more (but not most) popular songs of one of the most popular Polish groups ever; evergreen for sure, though probably not in the first three replies, if you ask about a piece of this group, especially that it's not the singer they are most associated with.
Performed by: the group Budka Suflera; Romuald Czystaw sings.
I like the melancholic atmosphere. I don't like, though, reading comments on it out there. It's disappointing to see dimwits interpreting it literally; it's like they hear only the refrain, and not the whole thing.
The original lyrics on the group's official site.
This man's gaze was somewhat distrait.
He asked for a light, staring somewhere in the darkness,
then he inhaled the smoke and, before the night concealed him, he said:
“Never believe a woman, my good advice for you.
Nothing worse on this world happens to us.
Never believe a woman, don't give an inch,
because you'll be lost before you realize your mistake,
barely you get your mistake, you're done.”
Around us the whole city was just going to sleep.
Only what I got of all this something's off about him.
My home was two blocks away.
I wanted to sleep, but I hardly could.
Something made me keep hearing his voice:
“Never believe a woman, my good advice for you...”
It had been dark that time, and now I'm not sure
whether it was his face I saw in the news today, or someone other's...
Szklana pogoda (Glass Weather)
How old: 1983
How much popular in Poland: arguably the most popular piece of a group that was maybe in top five or so of Polish rock scene in 80s; you don't hear it very often anymore, but if you pick a random Pole, they probably heard it before, unless they're really young.
Written and performed by: the group Lombard; Małgorzata Ostrowska sings.
May or may not be considered a protest song, but in 80s half of Polish rock was protest songs anyway. It's one of those things hard to translate, every word heavy from cultural connotations. But I hope at least some of the cynical atmosphere of urban dystopia seeps through. The video is the original clip from 1983 and the singer poses here for a TV news presenter, as in: public TV. That's why the exaggeratedly cold, detached stiffness and corporate look, deliberately contrasted with the voice, and very unlike Ostrowska's usual that days. *g*
The original lyrics on the group's official site.
Above a huge concrete village,
the solar lightbulb is slowly going out.
Towards the huge concrete village,
twilight is stalking on feline paws.
Pensive waiting madonnas
already abandoned queues.
They're coming back to shrines,
to TVs with the weather forecast.
Glass weather.
Windows are blue from TVs.
Glass weather.
A humorless tumbler is coming.
Bolts and locks will secure doors,
glass peephole will inspect visitors.
The night is not scary anymore,
when you've got three padlocks ready.
Lifts are humming their lullaby,
a neighbor is rattling a prayer.
Maybe he'll manage once more
to survive the night and crawl to dawn.
Jaka róża, taki cierń (As Rose, as Thorn)
How old: 1984
How much popular in Poland: a generation ago, very much, same as the singer; now, not really, though it's a likely choice for a nostalgic festival.
Performed by: Edyta Geppert; I don’t know and I don’t want to know other performances.
One of two songs that are sure to bring me to tears, every damned time. (The other, and even more effective on me, being the Russian Песенка о голубом шарике / Pesenka o golubom sharike / A ditty about a blue baloon by Bulat Okudzhava, but I heard it first sung (still in Russian) by a Polish singer Magda Umer.)
The the original lyrics on Geppert’s official site.
She was angry when he slammed the door.
A cry inside, dry tears in eyes.
She thought, ah yes, the old scheme comes again.
This is their famous land, two by three, hired place.
Maybe it sounds ridiculous, but she had nothing anymore.
Three dozens of bad years.
What was painful, now disappeared.
Still, the pain...
As morning, as day - nothing to wonder at.
As water, as shore - nothing to wonder at.
As bedding, as dreams - nothing to wonder at.
Even what is there.
As heart, as fear - nothing to wonder at.
As weakness, as sin - nothing to wonder at.
As means, as generosity - nothing to wonder at.
Even what is there.
As rose, as thorn - nothing to wonder at.
As betrayal, as anger - nothing to wonder at.
As stone, as blow - nothing to wonder at.
As life, as death.
Rose, rose, the world is ours, we'll stay forever young.
The night is whirling around us; look, I've silenced the fear.
The foolish love, the ill love has no power on me.
The wind will catch my hair; ten floors and then darkness.
As life, as death - nothing to wonder at.
As betrayal, as anger - nothing to wonder at.
As stone, as hit - nothing to wonder at.
Even what is there, what pulls out of us all words, all calm of hearts.
Skóra (Leather)
How old: 1984
How much popular in Poland: I keep hearing it now and then, in stations for older hits.
Written and performed by: the group Aya RL; Paweł Kukiz sings
Fun fact: the dude singing it ran for president this year, and got the third place. Not that it makes the song any better or worse… *shrugs*
The original lyrics.
I'm standing on the street with her, face to face.
Someone is passing by, jostling against us, spitting with his stare.
I'm whispering: “Look, Babe, the civilized world.”
Then I'm embracing her, we're floating together away.
No stranger's voice can be heard, the time is flowing slowly.
We're floating into the abyss of stars. Hum with me, Babe.
Tam ta tam...
I'm standing on the street with her, laughs surrounding us.
Someone is passing by, jostling against us, spitting on Babe's face.
I'm saying aloud: “Look, Babe, the civilized world!”
Then I'm resetting his nose. He fell down, but got up again.
A hundred voices around: “The one in leather is a rogue!”
Then I was alone today. Hum with me, Babe.
Tam ta tam...
Then I'm embracing her...
Lipstick on the Glass
How old: 1985
How much popular in Poland: again, a not most but also not least popular piece of a group being in Polish Top Groups of Ever; a little forgotten now, I think.
Written and performed by: the group Maanam; Olga “Kora” Jackowska sings.
Because they deserve something of their own here, actually representative for them, not just Karuzela z madonnami. They made also an English version of the song. Personally I prefer the Polish one, because, is it just me, or when singing in English her voice rises up and loses this feline drawl?
The Polish and the English lyrics on the group's official site. Also, one small detail which may or may not matter for you, there's a difference between the last parts of both lyrics. Where in English it's: She's leaving but she's left her smile, her lips, her breath. She'll come back just the same and ask me once again, in Polish it goes: You're leaving but you've left a trace of lipstick on the glass. Doesn't matter she'll come and ask [me] once again. All persons are female as well, though.
Zostawcie Titanica (Leave Titanic Alone / Let Titanic Be)
How old: 1988
How much popular in Poland: same as the previous one, an evergreen of another group of top groups on Polish scene of 80s and 90s, though as Nie wierz nigdy kobiecie unlikely to be mentioned as the first association for being not quite their usual style.
Performed by: the group Lady Pank; Janusz Panasewicz sings.
Written after the French-American expedition in 1987 brought ashore objects from the wreck.
Here's the original lyrics.
I believe they keep dancing,
they live their life, and they'll reach the destination they want.
And I believe in their underwater world,
and the orchestra that kept playing, still does.
A beautiful actress tries her necklace on.
A waiter stumbled, falls face down into a cake.
It's not true they aren't anymore.
They keep sailing, just slower, like dreams do.
And you're wrong, you won't find them.
They already sailed so many miles, so many days they danced.
A young millionaire has fallen in love today.
The ball has just begun, everybody's dancing, so...
don't interrupt it!
Leave Titanic alone!
Don't drag her out.
The music keeps playing there, and they keep dancing.
The beautiful actress winks,
and the young millionaire knocks at her door.
Let them dream!
Leave Titanic alone!
Don't drag her out.
The music keeps playing there, and they dream in dance.
They dream unsinkably, they dream unreachably, the unsinkable, unreachable dream.
Dzieci (Children)
How old: 1993
How much popular in Poland: mainstream, still aired every now and often; I'd say it's considered a better-level and less-cheesy mainstream, think less Britney Spears, more Nick Cave.
Written and performed by: the group Elektryczne Gitary; Kuba Sienkiewicz sings.
Because I think about this often when I read or watch news, discussions and such...
The original lyrics on the group's official site.
Children merrily ran out of the school,
lit up cigarettes and pulled out bottles,
spat the pavement all over and drove people away.
Now they're sitting on benches and bellowing to each other.
It goes to our heads that we live (or: we went nuts because of that we live)
Hey hey la la la la hey hey hey hey
It goes to our heads that we live
Hey hey la la la la hey hey hey hey
Tons of paper, volumes of analyses,
genial ideas, crowds in the hall,
hours of prayers, years of studies,
oaths, plans, signatures, forms.
Standards, exemplars, noble efforts,
chains of hands, solid ranks,
layers of tradition, ages of culture,
kindness week, hands up!
Children merrily ran out of school...
Lament nieboszczyków (Dead's Lamentation)
How old: ...somewhere between 1919 and 1999?
How much popular in Poland: a fan of sung poetry probably knows it, but if I ever hear it outside the public TV and before 9 p.m., I'll eat my laptop with no salt; that's about the song, though, while the singer (the first one on my list) is among the top Polish actors of recent three decades (the second one's not). Sung poetry genre in Polish is often called also 'piosenka aktorska', literally acting song or actor song, and for a reason.
Performed by: Zbigniew Zamachowski; Mirosław Czyżykiewicz (and many others)
The best sources claim it was written either by Jan Wołek or Przemysław Borkowski for a 1999 dated staging of the play “Dybuk” by Szymon An-ski (aka Shloyme Zanvl Rappoport), which was published in 1919. However, I'm sure as hell I heard it for the first time in 1997, and already as a part of another show, being a compilation of songs by one composer, Jerzy Satanowski (who made also the overall music for the 1999 staging). Maybe they included it there before they managed to launch “Dybuk”?
My favorite performance is by Zamachowski, being that first one I remember from 1997, but I've thrown in Czyżykiewicz for a good measure. You'll see his version has its merits, too. Don’t listen to it before going to bed or around midnight, and don’t say I didn’t warn you. *g*
(Link in case the player is not displayed.)
Mirosław Czyżykiewicz
(Link in case the player is not displayed.)
The original lyrics.
Life is bad on cemetery.
The dead cry, the wind blows.
Abandoned and lonely,
they moon around, dropping bones.
Unwanted and immortal,
castaways of Coffin Isles.
There’s cry and lament among the monuments,
no one loves the dead.
No one loves, no one weeps,
for they died - get out with them!
For they died, for they're dead,
the wind tilted the crosses, once straight.
I will die some day, I know it for sure,
and what will happen to me then?
Who will want me, who will listen to me,
who will love me as a dead man?
Wolf pelts lay heavy on the dead.
They walk villages, gloomy faced.
No one loves, no one weeps,
for they died - get out with them.
This is the life the dead have,
only for that they died.
Gdy nie ma dzieci (When the Children/Kids Aren't [Home]
How old: 1998
How much popular in Poland: comparable to “Dzieci” by Elektryczne Gitary, in all aspects.
Written and performed by: the group Kult; Kazik Staszewski sings.
Well, he claims it's autobiographical. *g* The video is the official clip.
The original lyrics on the group's official page (you need to click the title on the list; you can also listen to the song there).
One bottle, second bottle, and third one, dammit, too.
Home's entirely deserted by night and the stuff gathers dust.
We're coming back our wobbly way after the late round.
Hardly possible we make it up the stairs on our own.
All our little ones have left for the holidays.
When the kids aren't home, we're naughty.
The route is well known, one pub to another.
One meets those or others, and we're a little runny-nosed,
if you know what I mean. And by dawn
I drain off, dull-eyed, the last gas-less glass.
All our little ones...
Yet a few days and nights more, and everything will go back to normal.
We'll be orderly and serious, neat and prudent.
But just today and tomorrow, and day after, and yet one more after that,
let us, dear night, give the life a flick on its nose.
There, fifteen (not that you can't make it fifty in your own. *g* Or just five).
*scratches head* Um, this came off a little surprising. For one, I didn't intend it to be mostly sad, I swear... Turns out my taste is a tiny bit melancholic, or what?
If you liked anything of these, it's worth to check out more of these groups and singers. Any of them isn't in the least a one-hit wonder, and what I brought often isn't even their most popular.
What will you bring? :)
