Ryczące Dwudziestki is a Polish band established in 1983 in Bytom, Poland. … Read Full Bio ↴Ryczące Dwudziestki is a Polish band established in 1983 in Bytom, Poland. They play folk music and shanties.

The name of the band, which translates as "Roaring Twenties", came from the Roaring Forties (the latitudes between 40°S and 50°S famous for strong westerly winds) and the age of the musicians (who were 20 in 1983).

Grenlandzcy Wielorybnicy
Ryczące Dwudziestki Lyrics

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Gotowe łodzie, i wszystko jest klar
I harpuny w stojakach pokrył śnieg
Jeszcze kilka dni
Wielkie stada muszą przyjść
Pod Grenlandii stromy brzeg

Trza upolować choć trzysta sztuk
By się zwrócił wyłożony grosz

Nie będziemy spać, by grosz kupcom w kabzę pchać
To wielorybnika los

Błękitne niebo i ostra lodu biel
Tak daleko rodzinny został próg
Jeszcze kilka dni i przed dziobem ujrzysz cel
Wypłyniemy po nasz łup

Grenlandio, dzika i wolna ziemio ma
Widzę Ciebie od wielu długich lat

Pośród czarnych skał przejdą noce, miną dni
Aż wystarczy nam już krwi

Overall Meaning

The song 'Grenlandzcy Wielorybnicy' by Ryczące Dwudziestki talks about the lives of whalers in Greenland. The lyrics describe the preparations that the whalers make before heading out to sea. The boats are ready, and the harpoons are covered in snow. The whalers have to wait for a few more days for the herds to come near the coast of Greenland. The song highlights the challenging life of a whaler as they have to catch at least 300 whales to make a profit. The whalers will not rest until they have caught enough whales, and their fate depends on the success of their hunt.

The song also talks about the hardships of being a whaler, leaving behind their families and homes, and navigating the harsh conditions of the Arctic. The lyrics describe the blue sky and the sharp ice, and how the whalers are far away from their homes. The last few lines of the song suggest that the whalers will continue their hunt until they have had enough, implying that their thirst for making a profit from whale hunting never ends. The song portrays the whaling community as tough and determined individuals, who are willing to risk their lives to continue with their livelihood.

Line by Line Meaning

Gotowe łodzie, i wszystko jest klar
The boats are ready and everything is clear to go

I harpuny w stojakach pokrył śnieg
The harpoons in the racks are covered in snow

Jeszcze kilka dni
Just a few days left

Wielkie stada muszą przyjść
Big herds must come

Pod Grenlandii stromy brzeg
Under the steep coast of Greenland

Trza upolować choć trzysta sztuk
We need to catch at least three hundred

By się zwrócił wyłożony grosz
To make the money we invested back

Nie będziemy spać, by grosz kupcom w kabzę pchać
We won't sleep just to put the money in merchants' pockets

To wielorybnika los
This is the fate of a whaler

Błękitne niebo i ostra lodu biel
Blue sky and sharp white ice

Tak daleko rodzinny został próg
So far away from the threshold of our homes