When I was growing up, Polish people tended to sing a lot. I do not mean pop songs played on the radio, but traditional songs known by all the generations. Whenever a group got together, they sang. On a bus/coach full of tourists, at summer camps, camping sites, parties - you name it. Some songs were common in the entire country, some were regional (more popular in certain areas of Poland). "Falcons" (or "Hey, Falcons") belongs to the first group. Actually, it is a Ukrainian song. Due to the intertwined history of both countries, it has become a traditional Polish song as well.
I sang the song with my primary school choir, among others. At that time, despite the lyrics, I thought about it as a Polish song only.
"Hey, Falcons" ("Hej, Sokoły") lyrics in Polish and English click here.
Interestingly, I have found the song sang by the Red Army Choir - "Alexandrov Ensemble". They visited Poland in 2009. Customary, while visiting a country, the choir sang a well-known traditional song of the land. They chose "Falcons" then.
Alexandrov Ensemble, their performances, were quite magnificent. I enjoyed listening to those singers. Tragically, the group (choir, musicians, and dance group) members were killed in a plane crash in 2016.
PS
There will be a few more posts related to songs in "My Polish Alphabet".
Thank you for posting about this song!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome! There are more songs that became popular in Poland, with lyrics in Polish, but (at least partly)they originate in Ukraine. Maybe I will write about those songs another time.
Delete