Szomoru Vasarnap(Gloomy Sunday) by Rezső Seress

It is autumn and the leaves are falling
All love has died on earth
The wind is weeping with sorrowful tears
My heart will never hope for a new spring again
My tears and my sorrows are all in vain
People are heartless, greedy and wicked...

Love has died!

The world has come to its end, hope has ceased to have a meaning
Cities are being wiped out, shrapnel is making music
Meadows are coloured red with human blood
There are dead people on the streets everywhere
I will say another quiet prayer:
People are sinners, Lord, they make mistakes...

The world has ended!

I got to know this song from the a post in Suhaimy Ramli's blog. A Hungarian, this Seress guy was supposed to have written this song during the 30's as an attribution to his once failed relationship with his lover. He managed to get together with his girl for a short while after he had written the song. However, the girl went to commit a suicide; she jumped out from the apartment's window. A few years later, the guy killed himself much in the same manner as his lover's suicide. Urban legend has it that there's quite a few of those who listened to this song had also killed themselves. Creepy, huh?

Well, apart from the urban legend and the scary story that are associated with the song, I personally view that the way the lyrics was written has a kind of quality that shows the particular social environment during that time. It is known that Europe during that time was between the two great wars. The atmosphere was heavy, moody and somewhat gloomy; as the song's title itself indicates. However, it is of an utmost importance for us to carefully articulate our mind in interpreting this song's meaning and not be influenced by it negatively. Instead, we should view it as a form of a human's variability in emotion and mental disorderliness(or even genius). If we can control our emotions, it is of a definite possibility that we will manage to order out thoughts and think from new, different, and more reliable perspectives when analyzing certain situations and conundrums.

The lyrics above had been changed into a more decent and somewhat less distressful tone by Billie Holiday. The new version of the song has been sang by many artists. The one below is by Sarah McLachlan. It's quite nice actually. I've personally enjoyed it. :)

Where is your sense, bro?

The locomotive was full. I looked at everybody's face. Pure dullness. I was amidst of others who were standing in the train. I heard the repeating and banal voice of the fed up train driver (who always wakes up from sleep in the morning everyday, repeating the same routine, work, then home, then back to work) over the intercom, commencing the arrival of the train to this and that stations. Upon arriving this one particular station -which I've forgotten- there was an old man, much like the ordinary and normal "warga emas" citizen, stepped into the carriage. Well, it was a "normal" thing I guess letting an old, weak looking person keep standing in a train filled with "civilized" people, but it was damn sure not normal letting that guy squatting because of some pain or exhaustion. Now I'm not saying I'm the good guy here, where I would give him my seat, or bla2. I was actually quite a fool back then, where I didn't stand up (but I was on my feet anyway, as it was full) and tell the young, able-bodied lad who was sitting mindlessly beside me to kindly give the old man his seat. I tell you, it was really a very pitiful scenario; there was no one, I repeat, NO ONE, who would want to offer his or her seat to that poor old man. The old man continued squatting for a few stations, until a woman went into the train(from another station) and noticed what happened. She kindly ask that healthy youngster to let the old man seat at his place, and he gave it. By the way, did I mention to you that the lady was kinda at old age too?


I was disgraced by the fact that young people like me, including my then stupid self too, did nothing at all. This particular scenario is evident in that it shows the shallowness and selfishness senses in our particular society. This experience is sure a pivotal one for me as now, I even dare to comment loudly(in pure and strong sarcastic voice) to the self-contained people in a full train if any privileged citizen is not given a seat (if I'm standing, that is. If not, I would surely give mine). Hey come on! Is it so hard by just standing up and let the needy ones have the seats? Would it make any harmful physical or mental consequences to you? I always believe that we can learn much by looking at people's behavior. Well, I do learn a lot from observing and analyzing situation. What I'm trying to imply here is that by modeling good virtues and habits, we can attract others to do the same thing too. I'm proud to say that I learned the habit of giving my seat to the needy ones from my father, and I'm encouraging the readers to practice it too. The sad thing is, there are not enough models out there! It's a fact that by doing something good while others around you are just idling, it'll create an impact to these people; such in a way that they might feel a somewhat ridiculous feeling about their own pitiful selfish self, and maybe(hopefully) they change for the better. ERGO,(duhh) I hereby proclaim that every good, healthy and intelligent living people in this society should have more sense in his or her God-given brain(ohhh please use it, please please pleaseee!) and be aware of the surroundings too!