“Bo bez ciebie nie ma nic, z tobą jedną mogę być, jeśli tylko chcesz” – Borysewicz & Kukiz.
(because without you, there’s nothing, with you I can be, if you only want).
Because without you, there’s nothing…Bo bez ciebie nie ma nic
As I hit the year mark this week of living in Poland, it’s an odd milestone on my ridiculous journey. I don’t feel any older than that shy 24 year old who first backpacked his way here, to Warszawa in 2005 across the border from Germany. I returned 3 more times to Poland, meandering my pathways through Pozzie, Krakow and a few German Death Camps. Then in 2016, enough was enough – I was staying. Eventually on life’s corridor, some 151 countries deep, in debt, in the doldrums and in depression, I found a home.
Dziwaczne Odkrycia: My Favourite Polish Song, the Sombreness of Jeśli Tylko Chcesz
As I studied Polish in Gdansk from July to September 2016, my teacher Pani Alina often added variety to our lessons. Sometimes, we’d have a coffee, sometimes, we’d go somewhere else, such as the special lesson in the Muzeum Narodowe.
Learning Polish in Gdansk with Pani Alina
One day, Pani Alina, came and played me this song in a Polish lesson, while also teaching future tense. I fell in love with the song, very quickly, and I play it all the time, have listened to it through depression the past twelve months. It’s my favourite Polish song, and so far the only one I know word for word (except for Sto Lat). It makes me cry a little, it makes me happy though and I think of someone from my past each time I hear it or play it. I have also sang this song twice now in karaoke, including sombrely on Christmas Eve in Chill Out Cafe in the town of Starogard Gdanski…we’re a long time dead.
Dziwaczne Odkrycia: My Favourite Polish Song, the Sombreness of Jeśli Tylko Chcesz
The song is by Jan Borysewicz and Pawel Kukia. Borysewicz is a genius with his lyrics, I love them, he formed the band Lady Pank in 1982. This song though, was released in 2003, Jeśli Tylko Chcesz, roughly translates as “Only if you want” or “If you’d only want”. Borysewicz has since moved into politics, but this song lives on. Here is the video of it, lower down the lyrics in Polish and English for you.
Borysewicz & Kukiz – Jeśli Tylko Chcesz
Kiedy w końcu znajdę cię,
Będę żył, urodzę się,
Dotknę cię, odpowiesz mi,
Zamknę oczy i wiem, że to ty,
Bo bez ciebie nie ma nic,
Z tobą jedną mogę być,
Jeśli tylko chcesz,
Jeśli tylko chcesz.
Kiedy w końcu znajdę cię
Kiedy będziesz obok mnie
Kiedy ja to będę ty
Kiedy będziesz mówić mi
Że beze mnie nie ma nic
Ja dla ciebie będę żyć
Jeśli tylko chcesz
Jeśli tylko chcesz
Jeśli tylko chcesz
Jeśli tylko chcesz
Bo bez ciebie nie ma nic
Z tobą jedną mogę być
Jeśli tylko chcesz
Jeśli tylko chcesz
Jeśli tylko chcesz
Jeśli tylko chcesz
If You Only Want/ Only If You’d Want
When I finally find you,
I will live, I will be born,
I will touch you,
You will answer me,
I will close my eyes and I will know it’s you.
Because without you there is nothing,
With you I can really be something,
If you only want,
If you only want.
When I finally find you,
Then you’re next to me,
When I’m with you,
And you talk to me.
Then without me you’ve nothing
I will live for you
If you only want
If you only want
If you only want
If you only want
Because without you there is nothing
With you I can be
If you only want
If you only want
If you only want
If you only want
And here is a brilliant live version:
And finally, be careful who you meet, trust and befriend on your journey. I found out the hard way how nasty liars can be.
Don’t tell lies to your friends, please. Be honest to them and if you don’t want to be friends with them, either tell them or leave them. Do not tell them “we are friends”. You could ruin their lives forever, you could influence a suicide and severe mental problems.
