Ballad of the Striking Miners: Ballada Strajkujacych Gornikow!
Annotation
The image here is a picture taken of one of the circulated copies of the "Ballad of the Striking Workers." Referenced in Padraic Kenney's scholarly interview segment "Does This Poem Explain the Strike?," this ballad (and many others like it) were used effectively by Solidarity in its campaign to popularize its anti-governmental activities as well as communicate its ideas to the broader public. The second attached file is the translation of the Polish.
Text
Ballad of the Striking Coalminers
On the other side of the fence A bunch of smurfs are standing And here sits our faith
Nobody is afraid of them
We will sit here
From morning to morning What will become of us Our beloved motherland
Sitting and waiting
We have nothing with us But later we will
When we overcome
The coal just lays there No one is mining it Laying in huge piles Nobody is loading it
There are no ministers There are no generals All of Poland is waiting waiting for news from us
The newspapers deceives The radio deceives
Tell us today, tell us now What is wrong in Poland
Who will put it together Who will move the time Because all that is moving Is empty between the ears
Beloved Miners
Polish Workers
This cause we will win After we support the capital
Hey people of Warsaw Go out to the palace Sing the truth
Go beneath the “palace”
Péjót
XXX
Let’s swim together with happy songs
Let millions echo and vibrate war’s call
Let sadness and anger fall away from the forehead Today freedom will stand
Chorus
Solidarity Solidarity
Solidarity Solidarity
Solidarity Solidarity
The free people’s organization will be