Plamen Press has teamed up with the Washington DC Chapter of the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences  and Baltimore-based Sun King Records, , and a group of international musicians (The Yehla Collective) to record an English version of the legendary song by legendary singer-songwriter and poet Karel Kryl: Bratřícku, zavírej vrátka or Brother, Close the Gate, Will you?. The song is reflective of Kryl’s initial shock, disbelief, and later anger triggered by the 1968 Soviet-led invasion of his country, Czechoslovakia. Karel Kryl was forced into exile in West Germany where he continued to perform and produce songs smuggling them into occupied Czechoslovakia and distributing them through Samizdat. Brother, Close the Gate, Will you? became a symbol of resistance during the 23-year occupation.

It was the same shock, disbelief, and later anger that the free world felt on February 24, 2022, when Russia’s forces invaded Ukraine, a country that represented no threat to the Russian Federation. And like Karel Kryl, millions of Ukrainians have been displaced from their homes, relocated to unoccupied territories, or exiled to neighboring countries, such as Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, the Czech Republic, and more.

We have created this video to help Washington DC’s own José Andrés and World Central Kitchen continue its mission in helping feed the millions of displaced Ukrainians, of which 1.8 million are children.  We thank the individuals who donated their time and talents to record this song at Tonal Park Studio in Takoma Park, Maryland:

Musicians: Jael (Yaya) Patterson (Puerto Rico), Christina Kharasian (Armenia), Cyndy Elliot (USA), Tomáš Drgoň (Slovakia), Bob Rychlík  (Czech Republic), Stephen Christoff (USA)

Sound Engineer: Martin Guderle (Germany)

Musical Arrangement and Production: Tomáš Drgoň

Producers:  Ian Jones (Sun King Records), Roman Kostovski (Plamen Press)

Film Crew: Walter Carlton (Carlton Creative), Nikola Kostovski, and Roman Kostovski

Brother, Close the Gate, Will You?   
by Karel Kryl (Translated by Roman Kostovski)

Brother please, don’t you cry
Those aren’t ghosts you hear
It’s time you realize
They’re just soldiers marching near
They came in their full-metal
Rumbling green circus vans
The tears are still in your eyes
We’ll look after one another
Walk closely by my side
I fear for you little brother
On ravaged old roads
We’ll stumble across this cursed land

The rain and the darkness cloaked this land
This night will be long hard and cruel
The wolf took a craving for a little lamb
Brother please, close the gate, will you?

Little brother don’t you cry
Don’t waste your tears on them
Bury it deep inside
Save all the strength you can
Please don’t condemn me
If we don’t make it alive
I’ll teach you another song
It isn’t so hard to learn
Little brother, come along
This road offers no return
We have to keep going
There’s nothing for us left behind

The rain and the darkness cloaked this land
This night will be long hard and cruel
The wolf took a craving for a little lamb
Brother please, close the gate, will you