Image by Wojciech Pędzich, Wikimedia Commons license 🙏
Maryla Rodowicz has everything you’d expect from a proper diva – a big presence, a great voice, timeless hits, and extravagant outfits. One of her signature songs reminds us to live life to the full.
Quick intro to Maryla Rodowicz
Since her breakthrough in the late 1960s, Maryla has never really left the stage. She’s now been mixing folk and pop for six decades, working with famous writers like Agnieszka Osiecka and composers like Seweryn Krajewski. Many of their songs have turned into national sing-alongs, including “Niech żyje bal”.
Fun fact: Maryla has performed live on Polish TV’s New Year’s Eve celebrations so many times she’s known as “Królowa Sylwestra” (New Year’s Eve Queen) 👸🎉🎇
“Niech żyje bal”
Released in the mid-1980s, “Niech żyje bal” is one of Maryla’s signature songs.
The title means “Long live the ball”, but the mood is bittersweet and the lyrics go from party images to dark humour. An encounter with the grim reaper, disguised as a female bouncer (“Miss Wykidajło”), reminds us that every party comes to an end – so we’d better make the most of it while we can.
Niech – a funny little word
The little word niech is perhaps not the first thing you come across when learning Polish. But it’s an interesting one, so good to be aware that it can mean several things. In English, it’s usually translated as “long [live]”, “may”, “let” or used as a polite instruction (formal imperative), depending on the context:
“Long live” (a wish, showing support for someone or something)
This is the meaning in the famous song by Maryla:
- Niech żyje król (“Long live the king”)
- Niech żyje królowa (“Long live the queen”)
“May” (general wishes/hopes)
- Niech muzyka gra do rana (“May the music play till morning”)
“Let” [someone do something]
- Niech wypije jedno piwo (“Let him drink one beer”)
Polite instructions
- Niech pan/pani spróbuje tego wina (“Please try this wine”, when addressing another adult formally)
This is not a complete lesson on how to use “niech” – as always with Polish, there’s always more to discover, for better and for worse 😁
Sing Polish 
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