Krematorij (Крематорий) is a Russian rock group. The group’s front man (and… Read Full Bio ↴Krematorij (Крематорий) is a Russian rock group. The group’s front man (and main song writer) is Armen Grigoryan (Армен Григорян).

The group was formed in 1983 by Armen Grigoryan (Армен Григорян) and Viktor Troyegubov (Виктор Троегубов) and quickly grew in popularity {[fact}} in the rock circles of Moscow. After the release of Illusionary World (Иллюзорный мир) in 1985, the group gained a reputation throughout the former Soviet Union and began to perform at concerts all over the country. However, Troyegubov left as a result of discord between the two leaders and formed a new project called Smoke (Дым). Krematorij continued to increase in popularity [citation needed] until several group members left again after the release of Coma (Кома) in 1988. Grigoryan succeeded in drawing new musicians to the band. The line-up has otherwise been unchanged to this day.

Troyegubov temporarily returned to the group in 1993 as both a musician and the director of the group. In 1994, the group worked on the film Tatsu (Тацу); however, the film was not a success and was never brought to rental, though clips from the film are frequently used in Krematorij’s music videos. After another quarrel, Troyegubov left the group for a second and final time. He later wrote a book entitled Life in Krematorij and Outside It (Жизнь в „Крематории“ и вне его) in which he makes many accusations against Grigoryan. He returned to Smoke which quickly dissipated.

Meanwhile, Krematorij continued its creative life, releasing several more albums and performing on tours all over the world [citation needed]. Krematorij contributed greatly to the development of the Russian rock music genre. Grigoryan composes multifaceted lyrics that frequently deal with the themes of life and death in various religious contexts. The use of the violin serves to give Krematorij an individuality that has been essential to the group’s continued popularity

Зебры
Крематорий Lyrics

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Каждый раз по заказу Луны.
Асфальтовый раб зажигает свои фонари.
Бездомные псы метят углы,
Багдадский вор подбирает ключи,
С черного входа выходят на охоту львы,
И бегают зебры, зебры...

Бегают зебры...

Всякий олух помнит о том,
Что закон притяжения придуман небесным царем.
И когда у молодого Стрельца
Вскипает кровь и горят глаза -
Значит, уже настала весна,
И бегают зебры, зебры...
Мне не дают спать зебры...

Наверное я - зоофил!

Я угощу тебя волшебной водой,
Повешу на грудь медаль с путеводной звездой,
Свяжу узлом незримую нить,
Взломаю дверь в вечную жизнь,
Но никогда не смогу объяснить,
Почему мне так нравятся зебры?
Мне нравяться зебры, зебры...

Наверное я - зоофил!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Зебры" by Крематорий describe a night scene in which a man impersonates an asphalt worker and lights up his lanterns by order of the moon. Homeless dogs roam around street corners, while a thief picks up his keys at the entrance of a black door. Meanwhile, lions come out hunting from the same portal, and zebras run around, thus creating this chaotic nighttime setting. The song then goes on to describe a restless feeling, symbolized by the lightning up of blood and eyes of a young Sagittarius. This feeling means that spring has arrived, and the zebras come back, making it impossible for the singer to sleep.

The singer then confesses that he may be a zoophile since he likes zebras so much, hence the repetition of the lyrics "мне нравятся зебры," which mean "I like zebras." In the third verse, he talks about the things he would do to be with zebras: offering magic water, awarding a medal for the guiding star, tying an invisible knot, breaking the door to eternal life. However, he acknowledges that he would never be able to explain fully why he likes them so much, leaving this desire unsatisfied.

Overall, the song is a reflection on the entrapment of modern society and the desire for something different, something wild, and uncontrollable. The zebras are a metaphor for this desire, as they assert the unpredictability and freedom that the singer craves.

Line by Line Meaning

Каждый раз по заказу Луны.
Every time by order of the Moon.

Асфальтовый раб зажигает свои фонари.
The asphalt slave ignites his lanterns.

Бездомные псы метят углы,
Stray dogs mark corners,

Багдадский вор подбирает ключи,
A thief from Baghdad picks locks,

С черного входа выходят на охоту львы,
Lions come out to hunt from the black entrance,

И бегают зебры, зебры...
And zebras run, zebras...

Всякий олух помнит о том,
Any fool remembers that,

Что закон притяжения придуман небесным царем.
That the law of attraction was invented by a heavenly king.

И когда у молодого Стрельца
And when in a young Archer,

Вскипает кровь и горят глаза -
Blood boils and eyes light up -

Значит, уже настала весна,
It means that spring has already come,