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.
dance
Ленинград Lyrics
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Когда такая зарплата,
Я бы мог бы быть богатым,
Но нету автомата.
Как сказал один ученый -
Скоро всем придет пиздец,
А пока он не приходит -
Делай, делай, делай dance.
Делай, делай, делай dance.
Вот вчера подох сосед:
Выпил паленой водки,
А в секонд хэнде в десять раз
Подорожали шмотки.
Как сказал один ученый -
Скоро всем придет пиздец,
А пока он не приходит -
Делай, делай, делай dance.
Делай, делай, делай dance.
Делай, делай, делай dance.
The song "Dance" by Leningrad is a satirical take on the current state of society where people are overworked and underpaid. The first few lines portray the drab and mundane reality of life where people are slowly dying from an endless cycle of work. The singer adds that he could have been rich only if there was a machine (автомат) that could produce wealth effortlessly, which is not the case.
The second verse talks about a neighbor who passed away after drinking bootleg vodka. At the same time, the prices of clothes in second-hand shops have gone up ten times. The singer draws parallels between the neighbor's death and the societal decay, where everything is becoming more expensive, and people are unable to cope with the increasing cost of living. The song has a nihilistic undercurrent with the refrain, "Как сказал один ученый - Скоро всем придет пиздец" (As one scientist said - everyone will come to a bad end soon).
Despite the bleak outlook, the singer urges people to dance away their worries while they still can. The lyrics state that one should "делай dance" (do the dance), "делай, делай, делай dance" (do it, do it, do it), until the world crashes down on them. The singer is urging people to enjoy their lives while they still have them, without worrying about the state of society or the future.
Line by Line Meaning
Люди дохнут от работы,
People are dying from work,
Когда такая зарплата,
When the salary is like that,
Я бы мог быть богатым,
I could have been rich,
Но нету автомата.
But there's no machine.
Как сказал один ученый -
As one scientist said -
Скоро всем придет пиздец,
Everyone will soon be screwed,
А пока он не приходит -
But until it comes -
Делай, делай, делай dance.
Do, do, do the dance.
Вот вчера подох сосед:
Yesterday, the neighbor died:
Выпил паленой водки,
Drank moonshine,
А в секонд хэнде в десять раз
While second-hand clothes became ten times more expensive
Подорожали шмотки.
Clothes got more expensive.
Как сказал один ученый -
As one scientist said -
Скоро всем придет пиздец,
Everyone will soon be screwed,
А пока он не приходит -
But until it comes -
Делай, делай, делай dance.
Do, do, do the dance.
Делай, делай, делай dance.
Do, do, do the dance.
Делай, делай, делай dance.
Do, do, do the dance.
Contributed by Anthony H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.