Ta ostatnia niedziela
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To ostatnia niedziela (Polish: This is our Last Sunday; 1935) is one of the long-time hits of Jerzy Petersburski. A nostalgic tango with lyrics by Zenon Friedwald describing the final meeting of former lovers who broke up[1], it was performed by numerous artists and gained the nickname of Suicide Tango, regarded as the perfect background music for shooting oneself in the head. Usually such acts were committed by young, disillusioned officers.
In 1937 a Russian version was written by Iosif Alvek and performed by singer Pavel Mikhailov backed by the State Radio Committee Jazz Band, led by pianist Aleksandr Tsfasman, under the title of Weary Sun (Russian: Утомлённое солнце, Utomlyennoye solntse, [2]). After the war the song remained largely successful and was one of the symbols of pre-war music in Polish popular culture. Performed by, among others, Mieczysław Fogg and Piotr Fronczewski, it appeared in a number of films, including Yuriy Norshteyn's acclaimed Tale of Tales (1979), Krzysztof Kieślowski's award-winning Three Colors: White (1994) and Nikita Mikhalkov's Burnt by the Sun of the same year, as well as in Schindler's List in 1993. The Russian title of the song also became the namesake for the latter film.
[edit] Lyrics
English translation of Polish (original) version
This is our last Sunday
This is our last Sunday, today we will part,
Today we will go our own ways, forever
This is our last Sunday, so give it only to me
Look tenderly in my eyes for the eternal while.
Now's not the time for excuses, everything has been said,
Today one richer and better than me came
And with you, stole my happiness.
I have one last wish, this one and only in many years.
Give me this last Sunday,
And then let the world collapse
You ask me what will I do and where will I go
Where should I go - do I know?
Today there's only one ending which is
- well, never mind
One thing is important, you must be happy
and don't worry about me.
But before everything ends,
Before fate parts us
Give me this one last Sunday
This is our last Sunday....
English translation of Russian version
Weary Sun
The weary sun was
Gently leaving the ocean
In that hour, you admitted
There is no love.
I became slightly saddened,
Without gloom without tears
In that hour sounded your words.
Leaving, I have not the strength to be angry.
We are both at fault.
The weary sun was
Gently leaving the ocean
In that hour, you admitted
There is no love.
