Zbig Szafranski - Polska, My Home

By the time we at Big And Tall Records released this song by Zbig Szafranski, he was on his way home to Poland. He had left in the early 1970's for political reasons. His work in Polish resistance to the government then led to him having a price on his head. The group he was involved with slowly grew into the Solidarity movement. He was married with two children at the time, and had been separated from his wife for her and the children's safety for many months. He was in imminent danger of being discovered, and no doubt would have been executed if he had stayed. He was assured by the leaders of the movement that he needed to leave the country and his family would be safe. So he made his way to the U.S. (he still won't tell anyone how he got here) and started to make a new life and awaited the arrival of his family.  months later, he received a letter from Poland that his wife had died in a Gulag.  He never heard a word about his children. 

That was related to us by a band member of The Nude Polka Kings, with which he toured with. The band member said that he hoped his children were still alive, and that he wanted to die in Poland. He's in his late 80's, so it's understandable that he'd want to tie up loose ends. He's sold all his holdings in the tavern and dance hall he ran for over 40 years, so it's reasonable he won't be back. His gravelly, out of tune renditions of Polka songs have been interesting to say the least. And it's of note that he usually ends his songs with some graphic language in Polish, but that doesn't happen here. Just a slow lament of his countries name in Polish - Polska.

I not been to my homeland 

For a very long time ago

 Before I fall over the dead 

I vant to pack it up and go 

 

 I don’t know who is still alive

But I know that my wife is dead 

I getting ready to die myself 

I can’t get Polska out my head 

 

Polska, it is land of my birth 

A peoples wronged in history 

Cheated and robbed all their worth 

But it is still homeland to me

 

 Damn filthy Rosjanie (Russians) 

Damn filthy Niemcy (Germans) 

Invade our homeland take wealth 

 

They never want us to be free 

 So much Polska blood drenched the ground 

Bastards brought so much death and pain 

And nothing has been learned from it all 

For it happens over again... 

 

 Polska, I am still filled with hate 

For peoples wronged in history 

Masters of not their own fate 

Is still my homeland to me 

 

Never should have left long ago 

With promise that my family 

After a short time in hiding 

Would come here eventually 

 

GOD DAMN ROSJANIE! 

WHAT DID YOU DO TO THEM?

 So many years alone, by myself

 I never see them again... 

 

Polska, I am so ashamed

 For not staying together 

And die all as a family 

Be a family…forever.. 

Polska...Polska...Polska