The Hungarian Suicide Song

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The internet is full of strange rumours. Pictures that come to life when the lights go out for sale on Ebay, Cursed Videotapes and "Was Ellen Feiss stoned when she did the 'Switch' commercial?". But perhaps the most mysterious of all of these 21st century urban myths is that of the 'Hungarian Suicide Song'. What makes this one so unique is that, not only do it's origins pre-date the World Wide Web by some sixty years, but there is real evidence that there is at least some truth to this strange and sorry tale. The first time I heard this story was back in May 2002. At the time I was living in Debrecen, which is located on the great plain of Hungary. I was sitting in a bar (The 'Jazz Bar' in Kalvin Ter, detail fans) when this strange old song came on. It was in Hungarian but I was immediatly startled by it's odd, dreamlike melody. I asked a Hungarian friend who was drinking with me about the song and he related a truncated version of it's infamous history. After a heavy night of Palinka abuse I completely forgot about the song and my friend's story. Months later, and back in the UK, I attended a lecture at college as part of my 'Music & Society' module. I was amazed when, in a section on popular music and censorship, my lecturer mentioned a song that the BBC banned back in the 1940's when it was linked to several suicides. Doing a little research I discovered, as I'd suspected, that it was an English version of the very same song I'd heard months before in that bar in Hungary. It seemed this curious little tune not only had a morbid reputation in it's homeland but it spread it's dark wings across the world. This is the story of Gloomy Sunday Written in 1933 ,by a Budapest pianist named Rezs?Seress, Szomoru Vasarnap (Gloomy Sunday) became infamous throughout Hungary after a spate of suicides was linked to the song. The newspapers of the day began to report stories of lovelorn individuals who had taken their own lives directly after listening to it's haunting melody. Some had died clutching the lyric sheets or left suicide notes quoting lines from the song. A few years later, as it's dark reputation had grown, the lyrics were re-written by the Poet L�szl?J�vor. His take on the song was less despairing and more melancholy, with a third - less pessamistic - stanza. But the suicides continued. Soon after an English version of the song was recorded, as 'Gloomy Sunday', by Sam Lewis. This was followed by recordings in the early forties by, first, Artie Shaw and then most famously by Billie Holiday. Although it's reputation was unknown outside of Hungary soon reports of suicides in America and ,later, the UK began to circulate. The BBC actually banned the song from broadcast - although an orchestral version was a minor hit. The ban remains to this day. Rezs?Seress' girlfriend jumped from a Budapest bridge into the Duna (Danube). She left a suicide note which read simply 'Szomoru Vasarnap'. Rezs? himself died by jumping from the window of his flat in 1968. Gloomy Sunday, that strange, haunting song of a broken heart longing to be with it's lost love had finally come for it's creator. More recently, artist such as Sarah MacClachlan, Bjork and The Bronski Quartet have all recorded interpretations of the song. And that's the story of 'Gloomy Sunday' - the Hungarian Suicide song. If you're as intrigued as I was when I first heard this tale you will already be setting up your P2P program of choice to download the thing. Well, save your breath (You don't have much left, after all!) because you can download the most famous English language version - by Billie Holliday - right here. I accept no responsibility whatsoever for any injury you commit upon your person after listening to this mp3 file. So before you lock the garage doors and stick that pipe through your window I'd be grateful if you'd erase this page from your internet cache. Also, if you're from the RIAA, I have no knowledge of the meaning of the word 'copyright' and, anyway, I live in China. Download the song as an mp3 by clicking on the iPod!

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UPDATE 01.02.03: An alternative version of GLOOMY SUNDAY can now be downloaded by clicking HERE!

The Lyrics

SZOMOR?VAS�RNAP

J�VOR L�SZL?

Szomor?vas�rnap sz�z feh�r vir�ggal,
V�rtalak kedvesem templomi im�val.
�lmokat kerget?vas�rnap d�lel�tt,
B�natom hintaja n�lk�led visszaj�tt.
Az�ta szomor?mindig a vas�rnap,
Szomor?vas�rnap.
Utols?vas�rnap kedvesem gyere el
Pap is lesz, kopors? ravatal, gy�szlepel.
Akkor is vir�g v�r, vir�g �s ?kopors?
Vir�gos f�k alatt utam az utols?
Nyitva lesz szemem hogy m�g egyszer l�ssalak,
Ne f�lj a szememt�l holtan is �ldalak...
Utols?vas�rnap.

SERESS REZS?

�sz van �s peregnek a s�rgult levelek,
Meghalt a f�ld�n az emberi szeretet.
B�natos k�nnyekkel zokog az �szi sz�l,
Sz�vem m�r �j tavaszt nem v�r �s nem rem�l.
Hi�ba s�rok �s hi�ba szenvedek,
Sz�vtelen rosszak �s kapzsik az emberek...
Meghalt a szeretet!
V�ge a vil�gnak, v�ge a rem�nynek
V�rosok pusztulnak, srapnelek zen�lnek
Emberek v�r�t�l piros a tarka r�t,
Halottak fekszenek az �ton szertesz�t.
M�g egyszer elmondom csendben az im�mat:
Uram, az emberek gyarl�k �s hib�znak...
V�ge a vil�gnak!

GLOOMY SUNDAY

Sunday is gloomy
My hours are slumberless
Dearest the shadows
I live with are numberless
Little white flowers
Will never awaken you
Not where the black coach
Of sorrow has taken you
Angels have no thoughts
Of ever returning you
Would they be angry
If I thought of joining you?
Gloomy Sunday
Gloomy is Sunday
With shadows I spend it all
My heart and I
Have decided to end it all
Soon there'll be candles
And prayers that are said I know
But let them not weep
Let them know that I'm glad to go
Death is no dream
For in death I�m caressing you
With the last breath of my soul
I�ll be blessing you
Gloomy Sunday
Dreaming, I was only dreaming
I wake and I find you asleep
In the deep of my heart here
Darling I hope
That my dream never haunted you
My heart is telling you
How much I wanted you
Gloomy Sunday

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