Kayah is a pseudonym of Katarzyna Rooijens (b. Katarzyna Szczot, 5 Nov 1967… Read Full Bio ↴Kayah is a pseudonym of Katarzyna Rooijens (b. Katarzyna Szczot, 5 Nov 1967, in Białystok, Poland), a successful female Polish singer-songwriter. She has released several albums & won numerous awards. At the start of her career, Kayah sang in choirs and with many bands (such as Tilt and Atrakcyjny Kazimierz). She made her solo debut with the song Daughter in 1988 at the Sopot Festival.

She released her first, self-produced solo album, Kamien (Stone), in 1996. It was a great success, consisting of melancholy pop songs. In the same year, she was voted ‘Vocalist of the Year’ by the Polish music industry and received a Fryderyk in recognition of her achievements.

In 1997, she received another Fryderyk, this time for the album Zebra, in the category of ‘Composer of the Year’. With Zebra she changed her style, moving in the direction of American soul music.

In 1999, she recorded one of the most popular Polish albums ever, with the Balkan composer Goran Bregović, entitled Kayah & Bregović: it is a blend of old Slavic songs and modern rhythms. Most of the music was composed by Bregović for the band Bijelo Dugme (White Button), which he had been a part of and movie soundtracks that he had worked on. The lyrics are both translations of the original text and inspired. In the same year she was awarded a Wiktor and another Fryderyk, in the category ‘Vocalist of the Year’.

In 2000, she released the album Jaka Ja Kayah which featured pop, jazz, and techno-influenced songs. She also released the single "Aniol Wiedzial" ("The Angel Knew") from the album, duetted with Cesaria Evora in Portuguese, and recorded English-language versions of some of her songs.

She was twice cast in advertisements for Polish mobile phone's Web - Orange POP (formerly Idea POP).

Sites: En.Wikipedia.

Serce Jak Szafa
Kayah Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Zapakuj swoje serce, co było szczęśliwe
Bo mogło kochać ją zbyt
Zapakuj zegar, co zmierzył czas, kiedy była
Ta namiętność w was i jego wina
Poduszkę, w którą wylałeś łzy, pewnej nocy
Gdy nie było nikogo przy tobie
Wyrzuć ją z życia na dobre, lecz z serca swojego
Nie daj, nie daj jej odejść

Bo serce to jest taka szafa,
W której, choć nie noszone, wiszą ubrania
Bo serce to jest taka szafa
W której, choć już nie modne, wiszą ubrania

Zapakuj lustro, czy chcesz czy nie
Ono pamięta jej czesania gest
Zachowaj smak jej perfum,
Choć łykałeś go, całując ją co noc
Zapakuj słowa, tak, słowa te
Choć byłeś pewien, że są tylko dla niej, o nie,
Wkrótce przekonasz się
I lustro gdzie któregoś dnia
Jak na filmie szminką dała ci znać, że odchodzi na zawsze
Wyrzuć ją z życia na dobre, lecz z serca swojego
Nie daj, nie daj jej odejść

Bo serce to jest taka szafa
W której, choć nie noszone, wiszą ubrania
Bo serce to jest taka szafa
W której, choć już nie modne, wiszą ubrania

Jeśli ona serce ma, to szafą jest też
Jeśli ona serce ma, to szafą jest też

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song "Serce Jak Szafa" by Kayah tell a story of a breakup and the aftermath of it. The singer advises the listener to pack away all the memories and items associated with the past relationship, such as the happy heart that loved too much, the clock marking the moments when they were passionately in love, the pillow that witnessed the tears shed on a lonely night, and the words that were meant only for the loved one. The singer stresses the importance of letting go of these items completely from one's life, but not from one's heart, as the heart is like a wardrobe that holds onto old clothes, even if they are no longer fashionable or useful, just like old memories that stay with us.

The metaphor of the heart as a wardrobe is used throughout the song to convey the idea that even though we may try to leave the past behind and move on, our heart holds onto the memories and emotions associated with it. The advice is to let go of everything that is no longer needed and make space for a new beginning. The singer emphasizes the importance of not forgetting the memories, but rather, keeping them close to the heart.

Line by Line Meaning

Zapakuj swoje serce, co było szczęśliwe
Pack up your heart that was once happy

Bo mogło kochać ją zbyt
Because it could love her too much

Zapakuj zegar, co zmierzył czas, kiedy była
Pack the clock that measured the time when she was around

Ta namiętność w was i jego wina
The passion in both of you and its fault

Poduszkę, w którą wylałeś łzy, pewnej nocy
The pillow into which you cried one night

Gdy nie było nikogo przy tobie
When no one was with you

Wyrzuć ją z życia na dobre, lecz z serca swojego
Throw it out of your life for good, but not from your heart

Nie daj, nie daj jej odejść
Don't let her go, don't let her leave

Bo serce to jest taka szafa,
Because the heart is like a wardrobe

W której, choć nie noszone, wiszą ubrania
Where, though not used, clothes still hang

Zapakuj lustro, czy chcesz czy nie
Pack the mirror, whether you like it or not