182. Chłopcy z placu broni, Bogdan Łyszkiewicz (lyrics) – Kocham wolność (Freedom I love)

One of the best known hits of the Polish band Chłopcy z placu broni (Weaponfield boys) from its debut album “O! Ela” (Oh! Betty) published in 1990. It’s a bit strange to listen to this song knowing that its author and singer, Bodan Łyszkiewicz, died ten years later in a car accident. What makes this song beautiful is probably its simplicity. It describes freedom in only few words covering what is most important about freedom, namely its value exceeding everything else. What we are, what value do we have, what can we do, it’s all nothing compared with freedom.  

The translation is not quite literal, but I wanted the lyrics to be a bit melodious or maybe even possible to be sung.

Kocham wolność	I love freedom
Tak niewiele żądam	So little I need
Tak niewiele pragnę	So little I want*
Tak niewiele widziałem	So little I’ve seen
Tak niewiele zobaczę	So little I’ll see
Tak niewiele myślę	So little I think
Tak niewiele znaczę	So little I mean**
Tak niewiele słyszałem	So little I’ve heard
Tak niewiele potrafię	So little I can
Wolność kocham i rozumiem	Freedom I love 'n understand
Wolności oddać nie umiem	Freedom loss I cannot withstand***
Tak niewiele miałem	So little I’ve had
Tak niewiele mam	So little I have
Mogę stracić wszystko	I may lose it all
Mogę zostać sam	I may be alone
Wolność…	Freedom…
Tak niewiele miałem	So little I’ve had
Tak niewiele mam	So little I have
Mogę rzucić wszystko	I may leave it all
Mogę zostać sam	I may be alone
Wolność…	Freedom…

*) Actually, it should be ‘so little I demand; so little I desire’, but the words I’ve used also imply demanding and desiring.

**) Here, more correct translation would be ‘so little I matter’, but English verb ‘to mean’ has the other meaning of implying, suggesting something.

***) I changed the meaning a bit here as well, but in order to maintain the rhyme in this stanza. I feel that’s better than literal translation ‘freedom I love and understand; freedom I cannot give up’.