Kaczmarski was considered by many to be the voice of the anti-communist Solidarity movement in the 1980s, for his commitment to a free Poland, independent of Soviet rule. His songs criticized the ruling regime and appealed to the tradition of patriotic resistance within Poles. He remains best known for his protest songs on social and political subjects ("Mury" (Walls), "Obława" (Wolf hunt)). However, he was more a poet than a political singer, and his texts have not lost their meaning with the demise of the Soviet union and its communist block.
He made his debut in 1977 at the Student Song Festival, where he was awarded first prize for his work "Obława" (Wolf hunt) based on song "Охота на волков" by Vladimir Vysotsky. In 1980 he won Second prize at the Opole Song Festival for "Epitafium dla Włodzimierza Wysockiego" (Epitaph for Vladimir Vysotsky).
Kaczmarski chose to emigrate after the imposition of the martial law in Poland in 1981, and would not be allowed to return until 1990. From 1982 he was an editor and journalist with Radio Free Europe, with his own radio program, A Quarter with Jacek Kaczmarski.
After his return to Poland (following the Round Table negotiations that brought and end to communist rule) he toured the country with his friend and artist Zbigniew Łapiński. The tour was recorded and released as Live, and it achieved Gold album status in 2001. His other albums included "Mury" (Walls), "Nasza klasa" (Our class), "Raj" (Paradise), "Muzeum" (Museum), "Pochwała łotrostwa" (Praising the Rascals), "Wojna postu z karnawałem" (The War between Carnival and Lent). However, Kaczmarski was soon disillusioned by the developments in Poland after 1989 and would eventually emigrate to Australia.
Kaczmarski was known not only for his politically motivated lyrics but also for his characteristically dynamic — even aggressive — classical guitar playing, and expressive performance style. His deep knowledge of not only the history of Poland but also Classical literature resulted in a wide variety of insightful connections between cultures and eras via song (for example "Powtórka z Odysei," recalling Homer's Odyssey or "Lalka," a masterful strike at the heart of a riveting Polish novel). He often performed before contrastingly different audiences: groups of friends in their homes, campus venues, and large concert halls in Poland, the rest of Europe and America.
Kaczmarski in the late 1990s was diagnosed with cancer of the larynx (attributed to his heavy smoking). He could not afford the costs of the treatment and in response a nationwide fundraising campaign was organized. However, Jacek Kaczmarski, out of fear of irrevocably losing his voice, did not agree to standard cancer therapy and resorted instead to alternatives such as vilcacora and sangre de drago, among other "natural" remedies.
He died in a hospital in Gdańsk 2004.
Birkenau
Jacek Kaczmarski Lyrics
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I zimny komin zbędne ma przestoje
Mizerne niebo czeka na swój pokarm
Tłuste obłoki słodkich swądów zwoje
Skrzętni palacze gdzieś się zapodziali
Wystygły ruszta popiół tuli glina
I w bezcielesnym milczeniu umarli
Po ustalonych raz na zawsze drogach
Płynie nad nimi ślepe oko Boga
The lyrics to Jacek Kaczmarski's song "Birkenau" are haunting and convey a powerful message about the horrors that occurred in Nazi concentration camps during World War II. The opening lines describe the waste of resources and the dormant chimneys that serve no purpose anymore. The sky is described as waiting for nourishment as the thick clouds release sweet smells.
The second stanza describes the absence of the workers who used to keep the furnaces burning. The ashes on the grate now resemble clay, and nobody is left to listen to the hungry groans of the chimneys. The last stanza speaks of the predetermined fate of those who perished in the camp's crematoriums. It is as if the blind eye of God is watching them from above as they meet their tragic end.
The song is a poignant reminder of the atrocities that people endured during the Holocaust. The camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest of the concentration camps, and the lyrics describe the horror and indifference that was present during that time.
Line by Line Meaning
Porządny w pryzmach marnuje się opał
The good fuel wasted in piles
I zimny komin zbędne ma przestoje
And the cold chimney has unnecessary breaks
Mizerne niebo czeka na swój pokarm
The meager sky awaits its nourishment
Tłuste obłoki słodkich swądów zwoje
The fat clouds of sweet scents gather
Skrzętni palacze gdzieś się zapodziali
The sly stokers have hidden somewhere
Wystygły ruszta popiół tuli glina
The cold grates embrace the ashes
I w bezcielesnym milczeniu umarli
And died in disembodied silence
Słuchają jęków głodnego komina
Listening to the moans of the hungry chimney
Po ustalonych raz na zawsze drogach
On established, everlasting paths
Płynie nad nimi ślepe oko Boga
The blind eye of God watches over them
Contributed by Maria V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.