this post was submitted on 28 Oct 2025
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[–] DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works 1 points 24 minutes ago

O7

Mad respects.

As a Chinese-American, I feel so depressed about the situation of both countries I lived in, tyranny is everywhere. I'm being targeted by both countries and tbh I'm just not brave enough to do actual protests, because I'm scared and I just want to stay under the radar. I'm dealing with a lot of depression, and I don't think I have the endurance it takes. I already got falsely arrested once by the US Gestapo and I'm still dealing with the PTSD.

[–] pineapplelover@lemmy.dbzer0.com 10 points 9 hours ago

Pussy Riot vibes

[–] CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world 13 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

This kind of thing coming to 'merica thanks to Taco and pals.

[–] DrDickHandler@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

It's already there.

[–] Taldan@lemmy.world 22 points 16 hours ago (3 children)

I believe this is the song she was playing

Terrible Google translate of the lyrics:

I'd like to talk to you, But the TV is too loud— It's pretending to be your head, Its speaker is so much like your mouth.

My country has risen from its knees In all its negative growth. I negatively agree with everything— Here's my answer to your non-question:

Where have you been for eight years, Fucking inhuman beings?! I want to watch the ballet— Let the swans dance!

Let Grandpa tremble in fear for his "Lake." Get the nightingales off the screen— Let the swans dance!

When it's all over, you'll be silent And pretend you had nothing to do with it. Your face is more sour than a Crimean cherry plum: You're clearly slightly depressed about something.

I'd like to talk to you, But the TV is too loud— It's pretending to be your head, Its speaker is so much like your mouth.

Where have you been for eight years, Fucking monsters?! I want to watch a ballet— Let the swans dance!

Let Grandpa tremble for his "Lake."

Get off the screen, Solovyov— Let the swans dance!

A lot of references to the fall of the USSR

[–] JustTesting@lemmy.hogru.ch 4 points 4 hours ago

Crazy how it went from this 5 months ago to this two weeks ago, talk about Streisand effect

[–] Texas_Hangover@lemmy.radio 10 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Them's some fire lyrics right there. I like it.

[–] Psythik@lemmy.world 2 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago) (4 children)

Please explain to the lyrics to someone like me who can't understand them due to a case of severe ADHD, and possibly an undiagnosed learning disability as well.

[–] AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 5 points 2 hours ago

The main thing is probably the reference to the Swan's lake which has traditionally (for many, many decades) been used to replace tv programs whenever a top official died while the succession was sorted out. That was to make sure nobody would say anything out of line.
So asking for the ballet is asking for putin to be replaced, which is obviously bad.

[–] faythofdragons@slrpnk.net 4 points 7 hours ago

So, some of this is a bit of deep cut of Russian history, which is probably contributing to your confusion.

Here's my take.


I’d like to talk to you, But the TV is too loud— It’s pretending to be your head, Its speaker is so much like your mouth.

The artist would like to have a conversation, but the person they want to talk to is just repeating the propaganda they see on TV.

My country has risen from its knees In all its negative growth. I negatively agree with everything— Here’s my answer to your non-question:

The USSR fell in the '90s, and the artist doesn't think modern Russia has developed in a good way.

Where have you been for eight years, Fucking inhuman beings?! I want to watch the ballet— Let the swans dance!

Eight years is likely referring to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The ballet bit is talking about how Swan Lake played on repeat during the fall of the USSR, as a placeholder to keep broadcast airwaves available for use as emergency broadcast. Because it has been so completely tied to the idea of political upheaval in Russia, it's recently picked up steam again as a sort of shorthand for calling for protest and resistance against the government.

Let Grandpa tremble in fear for his “Lake.” Get the nightingales off the screen— Let the swans dance!

Grandpa was pro-USSR, the artist wants the empire to hurry up and fall already.

When it’s all over, you’ll be silent And pretend you had nothing to do with it. Your face is more sour than a Crimean cherry plum: You’re clearly slightly depressed about something.

Once the USSR had fallen, a lot of people tried to deny their support or involvement with it.

The song repeats a few things, and the only thing left of note is that "Solovyov" has been a news anchor on Russian television since shortly before the invasion of Ukraine.

[–] nixon@sh.itjust.works 3 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

Hey, I’ll do my best, here is my take;


I'd like to talk to you, But the TV is too loud— It's pretending to be your head, Its speaker is so much like your mouth.

Someone feeling frustration over wanting to talk about things but the person can’t hear them because they only listen to and regurgitate what the TV (main stream media or government controlled media) wants them to say.

My country has risen from its knees In all its negative growth. I negatively agree with everything— Here's my answer to your non-question:

We were getting back up after the fall of the USSR when everything fell apart and cratered. I don’t agree with what is going on, even though you didn’t ask I am going to tell you how I feel about all this anyway.

Where have you been for eight years, Fucking inhuman beings?! I want to watch the ballet— Let the swans dance!

This has been going on for 8 years now and you have turned a blind eye to it. I want to watch Swan Lake again at the ballet (referencing Russia’s primary artistic exports historically is ballet, of which Swan Lake is one of the most popular/wellknown)

Let Grandpa tremble in fear for his "Lake." Get the nightingales off the screen— Let the swans dance!

Not entirely sure what this is referring to, my best guess is juxtaposing story elements of Swan Lake to current political happenings in Russia, ie comparing Putin to a grandpa and lake may be ambiguous as a reference to Swan Lake and Putin’s lakeside palace.

When it's all over, you'll be silent And pretend you had nothing to do with it. Your face is more sour than a Crimean cherry plum: You're clearly slightly depressed about something.

When we, or future generations, fix this you are just going to pretend you had nothing to do with it, you’re a liar, like the lies they tell us about why we have the right to invade Crimea in Ukraine to justify our war with an innocent country. You know it is wrong but you keep lying to yourself about why.

I'd like to talk to you, But the TV is too loud— It's pretending to be your head, Its speaker is so much like your mouth.

Repeat of the first verse; Someone feeling frustration over wanting to talk about things but the person can’t hear them because they only listen to and regurgitate what the TV (main stream media or government controlled media) wants them to say.

Where have you been for eight years, Fucking monsters?! I want to watch a ballet— Let the swans dance!

Repeat of the second verse but changing “Fucking inhuman monsters” to “fucking monsters”

Let Grandpa tremble for his "Lake."

Repeat of the first line in the fourth verse but changing fear to tremble, again most likely referencing Putin and him willing to sacrifice the people of Russia in order to keep his extreme wealth and lake side palace.

Get off the screen, Solovyov— Let the swans dance!

Solovyov is a famous TV presenter in Russia, which I believe the speaker believes, or is inferring, is a government shill or otherwise bought off to only report what Putin wants him to report. So they are demanding Solovyov be removed from TV and to give the people back their freedom (swans dancing)


Hope that helped if you were being sincere about needing assistence to understand it. I have ADHD myself and have several friends with both ADHD and learning disabilities (they are co-morbidities of ADHD) so I can understand the frustration.

[–] ProfessorProteus@lemmy.world 9 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

I fucking love "let the swans dance"

[–] Danquebec@sh.itjust.works 4 points 12 hours ago (1 children)
[–] ProfessorProteus@lemmy.world 10 points 11 hours ago

Historically, the USSR would broadcast a recording of the ballet Swan Lake (on loop I think?) when their leader died, and it was also broadcast during the failed coup in 1991. The lyrics in the song that the teenager played, assuming the above translation is correct, are a not-so-subtle call for a certain kind of event...

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 102 points 22 hours ago* (last edited 22 hours ago) (3 children)

A KGB spy and a CIA agent meet up in a bar in Berlin for a friendly drink

CIA Agent says: Why do you like Russia so much? You have no freedom. In the USA, you can stand in front of the White House in Washington, DC, and yell, "Down with Ronald Reagan", and you will not be punished.

KGB Agent smiles and shakes his head: Nonsense, you can also stand in Red Square in Moscow and yell, "Down with Ronald Reagan", and you will not be punished, either.

[–] falseWhite@lemmy.world 27 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

A KGB spy and a CIA agent meet up in a bar for a friendly drink.

"I have to admit, I'm always so impressed by Soviet propaganda. You really know how to get people worked up," the CIA agent says.

"Thank you," the KGB says. "We do our best, but truly, it's nothing compared to American propaganda. Your people believe everything your state media tells them."

The CIA agent drops his drink in shock and disgust. "Thank you friend, but you must be confused.. There's no propaganda in America."

The KGB smiles and says "Exactly".

[–] kami@lemmy.dbzer0.com 63 points 21 hours ago (1 children)
[–] unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de 22 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Today it is the US president yelling "Down with Ronald Reagan(s advert)"

[–] comrade_twisty@feddit.org 28 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

Nowadays the President is also a KGB asset.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 39 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

I know folks hate the us peanut gallery with this but this is exactly the type of things we were told made russia worse than the us and now people are arrested for playing innocuous songs in front of ice facilities. Heck even prayers by actual clergy results in being shot in the head.

[–] Texas_Hangover@lemmy.radio 3 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

I remember monsters of rock or whatever it was. I was hugely into Pantera, my parents hated Pantera. Pantera played to the largest audience in the fucking world after the fall of the commie scum, suddenly, Pantera ain't so fucking bad.

RIP Dime and Vinnie.

[–] slaneesh_is_right@lemmy.org 4 points 6 hours ago

Except that the frontman is a fucking nazi

[–] aarRJaay@lemmy.world 13 points 18 hours ago

How long until an anti MAGA song has the same penalty?

[–] UltraMagnus0001@lemmy.world 14 points 18 hours ago

Hey, just like us in the Freedom country of USA.

[–] kami@lemmy.dbzer0.com 34 points 22 hours ago

Fascist regime is fascist.

[–] PP_BOY_@lemmy.world 26 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

Every time I see a picture of a Russian activist its the most beautiful person ive ever seen. What are they putting in the water over there???

[–] PancakesCantKillMe@lemmy.world 9 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

A raving beauty now, but at age 38 she'll turn into a beautiful babushka! Something about the water....

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[–] ordnance_qf_17_pounder@reddthat.com 6 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Ah, the Nadezhda Tolokonnikova effect

[–] PP_BOY_@lemmy.world 10 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago)

How tf you gonna fight back against someone who looks like this? If this woman told me I was doing something wrong I'd hang myself

[–] WhatGodIsMadeOf@feddit.org 9 points 22 hours ago

American vibes.

[–] answersplease77@lemmy.world -4 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

only jailed? america's best allies in the middleeast would have killed her and sentenced her entire family to life.

[–] Boppel@feddit.org 0 points 2 hours ago

whataboutism

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