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Let Us Sing Along To Helin Bölek’s Songs And Intensify Our Resistance

Student Struggle Editorial Team

“Truthfully, the outcome will rest on the shoulders of those who love us, listen to us and who try to do something for us. I invite you all to multiply the voices”, said Helin Bölek, member of the banned Turkish folk music band ‘Grup Yorum’ recently. Today, she is no more. Bölek has succumbed to death after a hunger strike that lasted for 288 days. A photograph from Bölek’s funeral, of the group’s guitarist Ibrahim Gökcek, greeting his comrade for the final time, is ‘viral’ across social media. Bölek had begun her hunger strike with Gökcek when they were imprisoned after the fascist government in Turkey led by Recep Erdogan banned their band accusing them of having close connection with a banned militant group. 

Bölek and Gökcek were been arrested in early 2019. Bölek continued her hunger strike even after she was released at the end of 2019 and  Gökcek was released in February 2020 on medical grounds. However, on the night of March 11, both were arrested and taken to a hospital, where the authorities decided to force-feed them. They resisted. Both of them were again released on March 16.

Both of them had appealed to the larger community to stand in support of their struggle which demanded “an end to attacks on their performances, the lifting of concert ban, the cancellation of ‘wanted’ lists, end to police attacks and destruction in their cultural centre, the end of arbitrary trials and freedom for their imprisoned members”.

28-year old Böleck has become a symbol of resistance to fascism across the world. Grup Yorum, in their official statement says, “All she wanted to do was to sing her songs freely”, pointing fingers solely at the Turkish government for her death. Martyr Helin Bölek wished everyone to intensify their voices for justice and freedom.

As a tribute to her resistance, Student Struggle publishes the English translations (with original lyrics) of four songs sung and popularised by Bölek and her comrades from Grup Yorum across Turkey. The songs are ‘Grow Up’ (Büyü), ‘You Must Raise a Son’ (Bir Oğul Büyütmelisin), ‘You Are In Debt’ (Borçlusun), and ‘(When) You Come Dawns Get Burnt’ (Gel ki şafaklar tutuşsun).

Grow UpBüyü
Grow up so your father can buy you…
Grow up, grow up
He will buy you sufferings and poverty
Grow up so your father can buy you…
 
Grow up so your father can buy you…
Grow up, grow up
He will buy you neverending unemployments and hunger
Grow up so your father can buy you…
 
Grow up so your father can buy you…
Grow up, grow up
He will buy you opression and pain
He will buy you handcuffs and surveillience
He will buy you prisons
 
Grow up so your father can buy you…
Grow up, grow up
And when you’ve grown to become 17
He will buy you death sentences
Büyü de baban sana,
Büyü de büyü
Acılar alacak yokluklar alacak,
Büyü de baban sana
 
Büyü de baban sana,
Büyü de büyü
Bitmez işsizlikler, açlıklar alacak,
Büyü de baban sana
 
Büyü de baban sana,
Büyü de büyü
Baskılar, işkenceler,
Kelepçeler, gözaltılar,
Zindanlar alacak
 
Büyü de baban sana,
Büyü de büyü
Büyüyüp de on yedine geldiğinde,
Baban sana idamlar alacak
You Are In DebtBorçlusun
If you haven’t hold the arm of
An exhausted one;
If you haven’t solaced the hopeless;
If you haven’t given to them who calls for “Water.”;
 
You’re a lost case, my brother.
To the wrinkles on your forehead,
To the blaze in your eyes,
You owe to the life itself.
 
If you haven’t said “May it be easy!”
To the laborers that crush the rocks;
If you’ve left them without a “Good morning!”,
The ones that adorn gardens;
 
You’re a lost case, my brother.
To the wrinkles on your forehead,
To the blaze in your eye,
You owe to the life itself.
 
If you haven’t felt the urge, in your heart,
To attend to the manifestations with banners,
And to the strikes with halays*,
Like love;
 
You’re a lost case, my brother.
To the wrinkles on your forehead,
To the blaze in your eye,
You owe to the life itself.
Tutmamışsan kolundan
bir tükenip yorulmuşun
avutmamışsan umutsuzluğu
“su” diyene vermemişsen
 
sende iş yok be kardeşim
alnındaki çizgilere
gözündeki ışıltıya
borçlusun sen yaşamın kendisine
 
“kolay gelsin” dememişsen
taş kıran işçilere
“günaydın”sız bırakmışsan
bahçe bezeyenleri
 
pankartlı yürüyüşlere
ve halaylı grevlere
katılmayı bir aşk gibi
ta şuranda duymamışsan
You Must Raise a SonBir Oğul Büyütmelisin
Even if the cruelty becomes a dragon
In our just-married fatherland,
You must raise a son
He must be brave in the fight.

If you find him, by the wayside
With a red rose on his forehead
Don’t crumble.
There should be vengeance in your tears.

The fallen is just one.
You have thousand sons, love them.
Tomorrow is ours, don’t dread.
You must have strength in your heart.

To share everything
But the cheek of the lover,
There must be your voice too
In the songs we sing.
Zulüm ejderha olsa da
telli duvaklı yurdumda
bir oğul büyütmelisin
kavgada yiğit olmalı
 
gün gelip yol kenarında
kızıl gül açmış alnında
bulursan yıkılmayasın
gözyaşında hınç olmalı
 
düşen birdir bilmelisin
bin oğlun var sevmelisin
yarın bizim, yılmayasın
yüreğinde güç olmalı
 
yarin yanağından gayrı
paylaşmak için her şeyi
söylediğimiz türkülerde
senin de sesin olmalı
(When) You Come Dawns Get BurntGel ki şafaklar tutuşsun
come from darkness with dawn, come with day
come from blood and powder with resistance, come with grudge
come my rose, come

when rain becomes flood, come from rivers by pourin’ out
when we start to fight come by fallin’ into loves
come my rose, come

when places are filled in city come to cottage, come
when bagnios shout come by breaking chains, come
come my rose, come

(if) u come then nights crack,(if) u come then dawns get burnt
our perspiration is ours hey
our labour is ours hey…
Karanlıklar içinden şafakla gel günle gel
Kan ve barut içinden dirençle gel kinle gel
Gel gülüm gel
 
Yağmur sele dönende derelerden taş da gel
Biz kavgaya girende sevdalara düş de gel
Gel gülüm gel
 
Doluşunca alanlar şehirde gel kırda gel
Haykırınca zindanlar zincirleri kır da gel
Gel gülüm gel
 
Gel ki geceler çatlasın, gel ki şafaklar tutuşsun
Bizim olsun alınterimiz hey
Bizim olsun emeğimiz hey…

Watch a riveting performance by Helin Bölek here.

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