Slavic Rebel Songs: Janek Wiśniewski have fallen

Kazik Staszewski is one of Polish most recognizable artists. He is present on the music scene since 1979, anyway his music still have got a lot of followers. I could write a lot about this artist but I will do so in my future posts. This time it is the song that is important.

Janek Wiśniewski have fallen. The significance of this song might be compared to Guns of Brixton, but I would say in Poland it is quite symbolical, so it might be treated more seriously .

Song refers to the Polish 1970Protests. Mainly to the actions that took place in Gdynia. In December 1970 Polish People Army and Citizen's Militia brutally put down the riots. At least 42 people were killed those days and more than 1000 were wounded. This events have made a strong impact on Solidarity movement in Poland. As a result the song was written, which quickly became an anthem for people saying: no! to government.

Lyrics goes:

Boys from Grabówek, boys from Chylonia,

Today Militia have used their guns,

We've stood courageously, we threw accurately,

Janek Wiśniewski have fallen.

They carried him on the door, down the street,

Towards the cops, towards the tanks,

Boys from the shipyard, let's revange companion,

Janek Wiśniewski have fallen.

(...)

Don't you cry mothers, it's not for nothing,

there's a banner with a black bow, over the shipyard,

For bread and freedom, and for new Poland, 

Janek Wiśniewski have fallen.

Riots in 1970 and a victim of it, carried on the door.

Reference to the shipyard is clear, beacuse of the place, where the riots have started. As usual in such cases rhe first place to start the workers uprising was at the production plant. In this case it was shipyard, as the Gdynia is one of the most important coastal city in Poland.