B for Bosun

 

 

A few decades ago, group singing was a popular pastime in Poland. Everybody knew certain traditional songs, which not necessarily were played on the radio, but people did enjoy singing them when they got together. Some songs were more popular and well known in the north of the country only as they were related to the sea.

One of them was "Bosman" ("Bosun" in Eng.). I never knew who its author was till these days when I did some research. It was written by Jerzy Porębski. However, I did not find the information when exactly it was created. Well, ages ago.

My free translation
"On the deck, since the morning,
The bosun is always heard
When he needlessly screams all the time.
Even if you hurt your hands,
He will always rebuke you and say:
"It is done badly".

Boys, what has happened to you?
When at the cauldron, then everybody hurries.
It's not a tub, not a pan,
You should know from your childhood,
It is a Polish warship. 

But is sometimes happens,

That the bosun daydreams,

Every bosun has their dreams.

If you ask him the,

He brings his squeezebox,

Sits on the stern and plays.

(...)"

The song has many verses, but we (the scouts) most often sang only four. Much later, I discovered that the next one tells what the bosun fantasized about - it was the sea, the abyss, the fights he experienced, girls of Bombay who love and kiss hard. Probably, the latter was a reason why we did not sing that part.
On the other hand, the bosun also dreamed about Gdynia, the port which he loved so very much.

Traditional version of the song - the author Jerzy Porębski sings in the video

 More modern and lively version of "Bosun"

 

 

PS

"My Polish Alphabet" is about things, people, and places that come to my mind when I think of Poland.