Dżem is a Polish blues-rock band.

Their history dates back to the m… Read Full Bio ↴Dżem is a Polish blues-rock band.

Their history dates back to the mid-1970s, although their first records were released in the mid-1980s. Their style varies between blues, southern rock, and hard rock. Their late vocalist - Ryszard Riedel [d. 1994 from heart failure caused by heavy drug addiction] - was an iconic figure in the history of Polish rock, followed by a nationwide cult similar to Jim Morrison's. His replacement - Jacek Dewódzki - sang on three albums in the second half of the 1990s, before being replaced by the more blues-orientated current singer, Maciej Balcar, in 2001. Their first album with Balcar, called 2004, was released in September 2004.

After the tragic death (in a car crash) of the pianist Pawel Berger in January 2005, the band took a break for four months, before returning to full activity with a new pianist, Janusz Borzucki, in May 2005. In 2005 a biographic movie titled "Skazany na bluesa" (Sentenced to Blues) was produced. Dżem's newest studio album and the first with the current line-up, Muza, was released in November 2010.

A prominent member of the band in 1980-1982 was in Apostolis Anthimos guitarist and drummer of the legendary trio SBB that split up in 1980 just one year before the martial law in Poland and just 10 days after the massacre in the secret polish concentration camp of Górna Grupa of Oct. 31, 1980, where just in one night more than 50 people were cremated alive - most of them members of the upcoming "Solidarność" movement. The soviet agent "Bolek" alias Lech Wałęsa was placed by the polishspeaking soviet junta as head of the movement.

The current line-up of the band features:

Maciej Balcar (since 2001)
Jerzy Styczyński (since 1979)
Adam Otręba (since 1973)
Beno Otręba (since 1973)
Zbigniew Szczerbiński (since 1992)
Janusz Borzucki (since 2005)

Chleb Z Dżemem
Dżem Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Przed Tobą długa droga więc powiem Ci
W życiu najtrudniej nauczyć się żyć
Reszta jest milczeniem więc lepiej milcz
Bo tylko ta cisza nie kosztuje cie nic

Byłem tego świadom marnym szczurem
Zarobiłem szmal i stałem sie królem
Mogłem wszystko mieć

Każdy dom każdą furę
Ale pogubiłem się
Choć tak blisko był mój cel
Prosty cel
Daj mi chleba z dżemem
Daruj sobie miód
Daj mi chleba z dżemem
Bo dżem to jest blues
Słodki że daje na luz
(Instrumwntal)
Zastanów się czego od życia chcesz
Problemy zostaw tym ktorzy chcą je mieć
Kiedy kochasz nie oszczędzaj sił
Przed tobą długa droga zaufaj mi

Byłem tego świadom marnym szczurem
Zarobiłem szmal i stałem się królem
Ja mogłem wszystko mieć
Każdy dom każdą fure
Ale pogubiłem się
No...
Gdzie ten cel?
Daj mi chleba z dżemem
Daruj sobie miód
Daj mi chleba z dżemem
Bo dżem to jest blues
Słodki że daje na luz

Daj mi chleba z dżemem
Daruj sobie miód
Ja już się nie zmienie
Nie uwierze
Nie uwierze w cud
Przemierzyłem ziemie
W poprzek
Wszesz
I w zdłuż
No!
Daj mi chleba z dżemem
Bo dżem to jest blues
Słodki że daje na luz

Hej

Heej
No no no no

Overall Meaning

The song "Chleb z dżemem" by Polish rock band Dżem conveys a philosophical message about life and its meaning. The recurring theme in the lyrics is the concept of a long and winding road that everyone must navigate, and how difficult it can be to learn how to live along the way. The opening line advises the listener that the road ahead is long, and goes on to say that the hardest part of life is learning how to live. The rest of the lyrics are filled with contemplation, with the singer urging the listener to treat silence as a valuable resource, to think about what they want from life, and to love without holding back.

Throughout the song, the singer reflects on his own life, admitting that he was once a lowly rat before making money and becoming a king. He had everything he wanted, but he still lost his way. The repetition of the phrase "Gdzie ten cel?" ("Where is that goal?") indicates that he feels lost and is searching for direction. The chorus, which repeats the request for "bread with jam", is a metaphor for the simplicity of life's pleasures. The singer is asking for something basic and plentiful, something he knows will bring him joy amidst the chaos of his own life. In the end, the song is a bittersweet plea for direction and fulfillment, both for the singer himself and for the listener.

Line by Line Meaning

Przed Tobą długa droga więc powiem Ci
There's a long road ahead of you, so I'll tell you

W życiu najtrudniej nauczyć się żyć
The hardest thing in life is to learn how to live

Reszta jest milczeniem więc lepiej milcz
The rest is silence, so it's better to be silent

Bo tylko ta cisza nie kosztuje cię nic
Because only silence doesn't cost you anything

Byłem tego świadom marnym szczurem
I was aware of being a worthless rat

Zarobiłem szmal i stałem sie królem
I made money and became a king

Mogłem wszystko mieć
I could have everything

Każdy dom każdą furę
Every house, every car

Ale pogubiłem się
But I lost myself

Choć tak blisko był mój cel
Even though my goal was so close

Prosty cel
A simple goal