stellauk
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I'm going to post a couple of songs from another Polish group Elektryczne Gitary (Electric Guitars) which although more recent are rather light-hearted songs about 'the PRL' (Polska Republika Ludowa - People's Republic of Poland) and the experiences that Poles went through.
These songs while influenced by political attitudes focus more on the experiences of the people and what they went through on the other side of the Iron Curtain.
Elektrzcne Gitary - Widmo
Widmo (Ghost)
This is a song about totalitarianism and the fact that in such a system someone is always watching you, and also someone always has an advantage over you.
Widmo krazy nad Europa (A ghost is haunting Europe)
Widmo krazy nad Europa (A ghost is haunting Europe)
Zanim zdazysz cos powiedziec (Before you get to say anything)
Widmo idzie juz do Ciebie (The ghost comes up to you)
Widmo chodzi ulicami (The ghost walks the streets)
Widmo czeka pod drzwiami (The ghost is on the other side of the door)
Zanim zdazysz sie rozejrzyc (Before you get to look around)
Widmo zawsze bedzie pierwszy (The ghost will always be the first in the queue)
Widmo krazy nad Europa (A ghost is haunting Europe)
Widmo krazy nad Europa (A ghost is haunting Europe)
Zanim cos zdazysz sie pomyslec (Before you can think of something)
Widmo zawsze bedzie szybsziej (The ghost will always be quicker)
Widmo czyha pod scianami (The ghost is listening behind the wall)
Widmo stoi za plecami (The ghost is standing behind you)
Nie odwracaj sie na siebie (Don't turn your back)
Nie odwracaj sie na siebie (Don't turn your back)
Elektryczne Gitary - Wyszków tonie
Wyszkow Tonie - Wyszkow is Flooded (lit. Wyszkow is drowning)
This is a song about Polish capitalism, which flourished under the communist PRL system. Poles sold stuff at impromptu markets and bazaars - whatever they could get their hands on from their ration cards, what they grew on their state assigned allotments, what they stole from work, obtained through bribes - and this wasn't just to make money. They money was however less important, it was a way of networking and making contacts with other people. The thinking was 'everybody needed somebody else' and this is a way of thinking which is foreign to us here in the West.
Wyszkow is the statistical Polish small town, it's not far from Warsaw to the north east.
Wyszkow tonie (Wyszkow is flooded) x 4
Siedze na dachu, tutaj nie dojdzie (I'm sitting on the roof, [the water] won't reach here)
W piwnicy zostaly moje kartofle (My potatoes were left in the cellar)
Dwoch ludzie na tratwie uwija sie zywo (Two people are floating around on a raft)
Tonacy po paczce sprzedaja piwo (They are selling bottles of beer in packets to those drowning)
Wyszkow tonie (Wyszkow is flooded) x 4
Z buda u szyj pies jak holownik (One with a kiosk round his neck being pulled by a dog)
Do budy zalapal sie otyly ogrodnik (A fat gardener catches hold of the kiosk)
Gowniarze w misce wyslali po babce (Youths in a basin look for their grandmother)
Co bedzie jak sprawdza im karty plywackie (What is going to happen if someone checks their swimming permits)
Wyszkow tonie (Wyszkow is flooded) x 4
Jest telewizja juz robia wywiady (The TV station is giving interviews)
Jak panie tonacy dajemy sie rady (How are the drowning coping with the situation)
Handel jak zawsze wiosna czy zima (Business as usual like in spring or winter)
Od zeszlej niedzieli juz plywa melina (There's even a drinking den [illicit] since last Sunday)
Wyszkow tonie (Wyszkow is flooded) x 4
Krawcy, lekarze, kierowcy, palacze (Machinists, doctors, drivers, smokers)
Dozorcy, kobiety, fryzjerzy, spawaczy (Caretakers, women, hairdressers, welders)
Sportowcy, pokraki, pijacy, uczniowie (Sportsmen, perverts, drinkers, schoolkids)
Szewcy, wariaci, kasjerzy, ojcowie (Cobblers, lunatics, shop assistants, fathers)
Wyszkow tonie (Wyszkow is flooded) x 4
Elektryczne Gitary - Dylematy
Elektryzcne Gitary - Dylematy (Dilemmas)
Polish society resembled the 1950's/1960's with slightly different gender stereotypes and most homes are matriarchal with the woman (as mothers and wives) making the decisions. They were also the ones who ran errands, waited in lines and queues, and arranged things whilst their husband worked or if they themselves worked, which was also very common, these things were done during their lunch hour. This was a problem later after the system when some women would disappear during their lunch hour for a couple of hours to get things done. This song is about relationships between men and women in the home during PRL, the comedy is that the man is asking questions about sex, but not getting the right answers.
Powiedzcie mi ludzie, powiedzcie mi wszyscy (Tell me people, tell me everyone)
Czy lepiej zyc brudny, czy lepiej zyc czysty (Is it better to live dirty, or better to be clean?)
(repeat)
Pytalem matki, pytalem zonie (I asked my mother, I asked my wife)
A one mowia wloz kalesony (But they said put your long johns on)
Kalesony (Long johns) x 4
Poradzcie me ludzie, poradzcie ludzie (Advise me people, advise me people)
Czy lepiej na dole, czy lepiej na gorze (Is it better underneath or better on top?)
(repeat)
Pytalem matki, pytalem zonie (I asked my mother, I asked my wife)
A one mowia wloz gacie w kratkach (But they said wear your checked pants)
Gacie w kratkach (Checked pants) x4
Niech mi ktos powie, bo nie wiem niestety (Let someone tell me, because unfortunately I don't know)
Czy zyc mam z kobieta, czy zyc bez kobiety? (Do I live with a woman, or live without one?)
(repeat)
Pytalem latem pytalem w zimie (I asked in summer, I asked in winter)
A ludzie mowia, kiedys Ci minie (But people told me, 'You will get over it sometime')
Kiedys Ci minie (You will get over it sometime) x4
Powiedzcie mi koledzy, po prostu mnie gnebie (Tell me friends, cos it's bugging me)
Czy lepiej na wierzchu, czy lepiej do glebiej (Is it better out in the open, or better undercover?)
(repeat)
Kolega milczy, bo sie krepuje (My friend says nothing, because he's embarrassed)
Mowie mnie potem on tez sie truje (Later he tells me it bugs him too)
Tez sie truje x4 (It bugs him too)
< Message edited by stellauk -- 3/27/2011 11:19:05 PM >
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