Born on April 12, 1944 in Kroměříž, today Czech Republic, son of Karel Kryl and Marie Krylová. His father owned printing business, which was confiscated from the family in 1948 upon communist takeover.
Karel Kryl moved to Prague in 1968, as an assistant in Czechoslovak TV. In his spare time he played his songs in numerous small clubs. When armies of Warsaw Pact occupied Czechoslovakia on August 21, 1968 to suppress the democratization movement of Prague Spring, Karel Kryl released album Bratříčku zavírej vrátka (English: Close the Gate, Little Brother), full of songs describing his disgust over the occupation, life under the communist rule, and rude inhumanity and stupidity of the regime. The album was released in early 1969 and was banned and removed from shelves shortly after. This work became icon of anti-communist movement for years to come — when he returned from exile in 1989 during the Velvet Revolution, almost every little child in Czechoslovakia knew the lyrics of these songs by heart.
Faced with certain imprisonment, Kryl left Czechoslovakia in 1969, and lived in West Germany. Most of the time in exile he worked for Radio Free Europe. In exile, Kryl released a number of albums. Some of his songs almost became traditionals, known by everybody in the Czech Republic, sung by all campfires.
During the enthusiastic November days in 1989, Kryl returned to Czechoslovakia only to experience bitter disappointment with the transformation of society.
On March 3, 1994, just a month before his fiftieth birthday, Karel Kryl died of a heart attack in Munich hospital.
He recieved posthumously the Order of the White Lion - the highest czech decoration.
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Karel Kryl Lyrics
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Stvo
The abbreviation for 'silnice' (road), referring to the road where the events of the song take place.
Po
Indicating the beginning of the action, following the 'stvo' introduction.
silnici
The actual road where the singer is traveling.
plné
The road is full, indicating heavy traffic or congestion.
prachu
The road is dusty, likely indicating poor maintenance.
a
A conjunction connecting the previous line to the next.
únavy
The singer is tired, potentially indicating a long journey.
v
A preposition indicating location or direction.
hlavě
The artist's mind, indicating a mental state.
stojí
The artist is standing still, likely due to exhaustion or contemplation.
chlap
A man, whose identity is unknown.
ať
An imperative, indicating a request or command.
má
A verb meaning 'has' or 'owns', indicating possession.
cejtit
A colloquialism for 'to feel', indicating an emotional state.
se
A reflexive pronoun, indicating the subject is performing an action on themselves.
blíž
A comparative adjective, indicating physical proximity.
a
A conjunction connecting the previous line to the next.
blíž
Repetition of the previous line for emphasis.
k
A preposition indicating direction.
domovu
The artist's home, indicating a desired destination.
tímto
An adverb, indicating that the following statement is significant.
kráčí
The artist is walking, indicating movement towards the home.
tam
An adverb indicating direction and distance.
a
A conjunction connecting the previous line to the next.
věřte
An imperative, indicating a request or command.
tomu
A pronoun, referring to a previous statement or idea.
čemu
An adverb, indicating the reason or cause of something.
jen
An adverb, indicating a limit or restriction.
chtějí
A verb meaning 'want', indicating desire or intention.
civilizace
Civilization, indicating a societal construct or system.
Pomozte nám
An imperative, calling for assistance or aid.
všichni lidé
All people, indicating a universal need.
D
The title of the song, an enigmatic letter that is never explained.
Contributed by Audrey E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@senszymon
jedna z najlepszych Kryla...
@jerrybozilov1910
KRASNE - KRASNE a PREKRASNE !! TAK KRASNE !! YES
@janastehlikova5967
nejlepší
@filipwaska2041
Děkuji.