Perkele - I have a heart full of pride

I haven't seen many displays of patriotism in Romania lately. That's only normal - I can hardly remember a reason to be proud of my country.

It's a beautiful country - maybe, but the Bucharest I walk every day is ugly. The beach I was on last summer was creepy and filled to the brim with rough necks. The mountain I walked for a day was spoiled with picnic waste, and the forest stunk. 

We, Romanians, are very warm and welcoming people - maybe, but lately I tend to get surrounded by ill-breds, whether I'm on the street, in the tube or in the train. Oh, and let's not forget the media - it seems all the TV channels compete to show us only the worst - the killers, the thiefs, the junk.

Perkele are Swedish, and proud of it. They sing Oi! - a working class punk subgenre frequently and unjustly associated with racism. Their energy is contagious, and - here's the connection with my long-winded introduction - so is their patriotism. The verses are simple and even sometimes amusing, as in My home (official download from their own web page)

I fly our flag for our football team
And the place where I belong, where I got my home
We got our four seasons, we got our way of life
It's the way I want to live, until the day I die

I have a lot of memories of places where I have been
But I can't remember that anything is like home

Great islands and skerries, mighty forests and fields
Drinking beer in the summer nights and looking at the views
It's a part of my life, it's a part of my heart
You can't deprive this feeling without killing me

I have a heart full of pride is perhaps the most anthem-like of their songs, and it's the one that struck home to me. Sincere, no-nonsense words, that lift my spirits when all I can see around is ugliness.

I've got a heart full of pride, and you can never take the pride away from me.
That feeling makes me full of strenght,
It makes me want to live and fight for what I am...

Listen to more songs on MySpace.