The band, and especially its leader, Shnurov, has long been famous for its catchy beats and irrepressibly bad language, somehow managing to be one of the top bands in Russia despite almost never being clean enough to earn radio play and despite its live concerts being banned in Moscow.
In 2008 Leningrad disbanded. Its former members run Рубль and Spitfire. The band reunited in 2010.
Перемен
Ленинград Lyrics
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Мы уже не ждём перемен,
Пламени нет, остался дым,
И никто не умрёт молодым,
И любви нет, и нелюбви тоже нет,
Мы закутались в клетчатый плед,
Тёлки вернулись в срок,
Полно в кармане пачек сигарет
На самолет всё посадки нет
Не видно неба из-за стен,
Мы ждём, но не перемен.
И где бы ты не был
Везде открыт тир,
А между землей и небом
Не заключали мир.
А между землей и небом…
Между землей и небом…
The lyrics of Ленинград's song Перемен talk about the lack of hope for change in society. The first verse paints a picture of a society where the pulse of life is weakening, and people have stopped waiting for any sort of change. The flame of hope has dwindled down to smoke, and nobody will die young anymore, indicating the end of youthful idealism. The people have also stopped loving or hating, they have just wrapped themselves in a checked blanket and given up on living passionately.
The second verse talks about a bleak future, where even the simple joy of seeing the sky is blocked by walls. There is an endless cycle of violence and no one knows when it will end. The words "Везде открыт тир" meaning 'everywhere is an open shooting range' perfectly capture the mood of despair and helplessness. The final lines repeat the phrase "между землей и небом" which translates to 'between the earth and the sky' and can be seen as a symbol of the human condition - stuck between the beauty of the natural world and the chaos of human societies.
Overall, the lyrics convey a sense of disillusionment with society, a feeling that many people can relate to. The lack of hope for change and the acceptance of a bleak future is a harsh reality that the song presents.
Line by Line Meaning
Всё слабей импульсация вен,
Our heartbeats grow weaker and weaker,
Мы уже не ждём перемен,
We no longer wait for change,
Пламени нет, остался дым,
There's no flame, just smoke,
И никто не умрёт молодым,
And nobody will die young,
И любви нет, и нелюбви тоже нет,
No love and no hate either,
Мы закутались в клетчатый плед,
We've wrapped ourselves in a checkered blanket,
Тёлки вернулись в срок,
Cows have returned on schedule,
И незачем жать курок.
And there's no need to pull the trigger.
Полно в кармане пачек сигарет
My pockets are full of cigarette packs,
На самолет всё посадки нет
No landings for planes are allowed,
Не видно неба из-за стен,
Can't see the sky because of the walls,
Мы ждём, но не перемен.
We wait, but not for change.
И где бы ты не был
No matter where you are,
Везде открыт тир,
The shooting range is open everywhere,
А между землей и небом
And between the earth and the sky,
Не заключали мир.
Peace was never made.
А между землей и небом…
And between the earth and the sky...
Между землей и небом…
Between the earth and the sky...
Contributed by Noah C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.