Combining elements of punk, gypsy music, and Brechtian cabaret, Gogol Borde… Read Full Bio ↴Combining elements of punk, gypsy music, and Brechtian cabaret, Gogol Bordello tells the story of New York's immigrant diaspora through debauchery, humor, and surreal costumes. Leader and singer Eugene Hütz's taste in music was spun out of black-market tapes of the The Birthday Party and Einstürzende Neubauten in his native Ukraine.

After being evacuated to Western Ukraine in 1986 following the Chernobyl disaster, Hütz became enamored of the mystical, outsider qualities of gypsy music. Living as a refugee in Poland, Hungary, Austria, and Italy before moving to the United States in 1993, he experienced life as an outsider himself.

After arriving in New York, he teamed up with guitarist Vlad Solofar and squeezebox player Sasha Kazatchkoff. American Eliot Fergusen added a strong rock sound on the drums and the band was also augmented by Sergei Riabtsev on fiddle, a former theater director from Moscow whose past experience would prove helpful in the future in crafting Gogol Bordello's bizarre stage shows (like one which tells the story of super-powered immigrant Ukrainian vampires).

The group's early gigs involved playing straight gypsy music at Russian weddings, but their music soon evolved into the hyper-kinetic explosions that earned them a solid following amongst New York's downtown hipsters. The band issued a single in 1999 entitled Gogol Bordello, quickly followed by their debut full-length, Voi-La Intruder, which was produced by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds' drummer Jim Sclavunos. Solofar and Kazatchkoff were replaced by accordionist Yuri Lemeshev, who hails from the Russian island of Sakhalin, and two Israelis, guitarist Oren Kaplan and saxophonist Ori Kaplan, who despite their similar names were not related.

Hütz helped bolster the band's popularity by becoming somewhat of a celebrity in the downtown scene, in part fueled by his Thursday night DJ gigs at Bulgarian club/restaurant/bar Mehanata, where he played Ukrainian, Gypsy, raï and flamenco music for a crowd of artists, models, Ukrainians, Russians, Gypsies, and Bulgarians with tendencies toward exuberant dancing and smashing plates. In the spring of 2002, Gogol Bordello embarked on a European tour and performed as part of the Whitney Biennial, bringing their music to a whole new audience.

In 2007, the band released their fourth studio album, Super Taranta!.

The members of Gogol Bordello have also made appearances in film. In 2006, their song "Start Wearing Purple" was featured in the film Everything Is Illuminated (starring Elijah Wood and Eugene Hütz), bringing their music to an even broader audience throughout the US.

Gogol Bordello all appeared in Madonna's first short film as director, Filth and Wisdom. Eugene Hütz is to play one of the lead roles. The band have contributed three original songs to the soundtrack.

Their music was also featured in the film Wristcutters: A Love Story and the character of Eugene was based on and partially written by Eugene Hütz.

Oh No
Gogol Bordello Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Sometimes when facing common trouble
When whole town is screwed
We become actually human
Act like Prometheus would
Suddenly there is more humor
And a party tabor style
People ringing one another
"Yo man, how was your blackout?"

Suddenly there is more music
Made with the buckets in the park
Girls are dancing with the flashlights
I got only one guitar
And you see brothers and sisters
All engaged in sport of help
Making merry out of nothing
Like in refugee camp

Oh yeah, oh no, it doesn't have to be so
It is possible any time anywhere
Even without any dough
Oh yeah, oh no, it doesn't have to be so
The forces of the creative mind are unstoppable

And you think, all right, now people
They have finally woked up
But as soon as the trouble over
Watch them take another nap
Nobody is making merry
Only trotting scared of boss
Everybody's making hurry
For some old forgotten cause
But one thing is surely eternal
It's condition of a man
Who don't know where he is going
Who don't know where does he stand
Who's dream power is a bottle
Put away in dry dark place
Who's youth power is well buried
Under propaganda waves
Who's dream life is in opposition
To the life he leads today
Who's beaten down in believing
It just kinda goes this way

Oh yeah, oh no, it doesn't have to be so
It is possible any time anywhere
Even without any dough

Oh yeah, oh no, it doesn't have to be so
The forces of the creative mind are unstoppable

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to "Oh No" by Gogol Bordello speak to the power of creative resilience in the face of adversity, with a focus on the ability of community and humor to help people overcome challenges. The song begins by acknowledging the difficulties that people face when the whole town is "screwed," but then offers a more positive perspective - that this shared struggle can be an opportunity for people to come together and act in a way that reflects their better selves, like the mythical figure Prometheus who brought fire to humanity. This newfound sense of humor and camaraderie is reflected in the imagery of a "party tabor style" with people "dancing with flashlights" and makeshift music made with "buckets in the park." Despite the lack of resources or materials, this communal solidarity becomes a resource in and of itself, with people taking pleasure in helping each other out and finding joy in the moment.

The second verse takes a more critical look at the idea of overcoming obstacles, pointing out that it is often difficult to sustain this kind of spirit in more ordinary times. The song suggests that people may be too quick to go back to their routine lives once a crisis is over, and the feelings of solidarity and shared purpose are lost. The singer then turns to a more universal theme - the idea of people being lost or directionless, lacking a sense of purpose or meaning. The forces that push people in different directions - the "propaganda waves" that bury youthful energy or the conditioning that leads people to accept their lot in life - are powerful, but the song suggests that creativity and the human spirit are even stronger. The final refrain returns to the idea that the forces of imagination and connection are always available to people, "any time anywhere" and "even without any dough."

Line by Line Meaning

Sometimes when facing common trouble
There are times when we encounter common problems in life.

When whole town is screwed
When the entire community is affected by the problem.

We become actually human
We start behaving like compassionate human beings.

Act like Prometheus would
Prometheus, a Greek mythology figure, was known for his resourcefulness and innovative thinking; we start thinking like him.

Suddenly there is more humor
We see the lighter side of things despite the tough situation.

And a party tabor style
We start celebrating and having fun like a festival.

People ringing one another
We communicate and connect with each other more often.

"Yo man, how was your blackout?"
We ask each other about our experiences and share laughter amidst the problem.

Suddenly there is more music
We start creating music and having impromptu jam sessions.

Made with the buckets in the park
We use everyday items like buckets to make music and enjoy ourselves.

Girls are dancing with the flashlights
The girls join in the fun and dance with flashlights.

I got only one guitar
The singer has only one guitar to play music with, but it's enough to bring people together.

And you see brothers and sisters
The singer is talking to the listener, pointing out that we all become closer in such situations.

All engaged in sport of help
Everyone is helping each other out in the game of survival.

Making merry out of nothing
We learn to find happiness in the small things in life.

Like in refugee camp
Despite the hardships, people in refugee camps find hope and joy in each other's company.

Oh yeah, oh no, it doesn't have to be so
The singer emphasizes that we have the power to make things better.

It is possible any time anywhere
We can make a difference anytime and anywhere.

Even without any dough
Even if we have no money or resources.

The forces of the creative mind are unstoppable
The power of creativity knows no bounds.

And you think, all right, now people
The singer talks to the listener, asking them to imagine a scenario.

They have finally woked up
People start to have a wake-up call and become aware of the problem.

But as soon as the trouble over
However, as soon as the problem is solved, people tend to forget.

Watch them take another nap
People go back to their usual routine and forget the lesson they learned.

Nobody is making merry
People stop celebrating and enjoying life.

Only trotting scared of boss
People go back to their mundane lives and fear their bosses.

Everybody's making hurry
Everyone is rushing to get back to their lives.

For some old forgotten cause
People forget the reason why they were so united.

But one thing is surely eternal
The singer points out that there is one thing that never changes.

It's condition of a man
The condition of being human.

Who don't know where he is going
Someone who is lost and unsure of their path in life.

Who don't know where does he stand
Someone who doesn't know where they belong or what their purpose is.

Who's dream power is a bottle
Someone who takes refuge in alcohol to escape their problems.

Put away in dry dark place
The alcohol is stored away in a dark place, hidden from others.

Who's youth power is well buried
Someone who has let go of their passions and dreams from their youth.

Under propaganda waves
Their dreams were buried under the influence of societal propaganda or pressure.

Who's dream life is in opposition
Someone whose ideal life is the opposite of their current reality.

To the life he leads today
Their current situation is far from their ideal.

Who's beaten down in believing
Someone who has given up hope and believes that life will always be this way.

It just kinda goes this way
They believe that life is unchangeable and will always be this way.

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ELIOT FERGUSON, EUGENE HUTZ, OREN KAPLAN, REA MOCHIACH, SERGEY RYABSTEV, YURI LEMESHEV

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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