On December 15, 2013, civic activists, famous artists and ordinary citizens recorded the anthem of Odesa’s Euromaidan. The power in their words shows how Euromaidan was able to win under all the dire circumstances. The Euromaidan activists talk about smiling for the Duke. The ‘Duke’ is the first monument in Odesa, erected in honor of Duke de Richelieu, the first mayor of Odesa. The song is in both Russian and Ukrainian.
Anthem of the Odesa Euromaidan
We’re geting sick of the way they all see us!
It ain’t gonna be no more the way it was before!
Cause this city’s ours, this country all the more!
We don’t need rotters running the place anymore!
When we sing here together on the Black Sea,
They’re gonna hear us all the way to Mezhyhiri!
On all our avenues, Odesa and the country we’re gonna shout:
Get them out!
Get them out!
Get them out!
Get them out!
Smiling for the Duke,
Standing on the Maidan!
Duke and us, together we all,
Want to go to Europe land!
Give your neighbor a hand,
That’s the only way to win!
We’ll never give up on Odesa or our land!
We’ll never give them up!
For 20 years they all tried to pull us apart
For our languages, to rule our heart.
But the Uke’s here with the Russkie and the Jew
And Ukraine will be ours for both me and for you!
In Odesa and in Kyiv we came out,
and so together we all won out!
We ain’t got no plans to leave our Maidans!
Cause we’re the bosses here, and Ukraine’s our home!
Smiling for the Duke,
Standing on the Maidan!
Duke and us, together we all,
Want to go to Europe land!
Give your neighbor a hand,
That’s the only way to win!
We’ll never give up on Odesa or our land!
We’ll never give them up!
If you’re from Odesa, you’ll never retreat,
The whole world’s watching us doing this feat…
Moscow, Warsaw, Brussels, DC or Beijing
Won’t do nothin’ for us, cause this is our thing!
The Berkut billysticks don’t matter a fig!
We got truth on our side and they’re just a gig!
We’re out this winter standing on our Maidan
So that our kids and grandkids can have a decent land!
Smile at the Duke
and he’ll smile back at you
He’ll give us a hand,
So I’ll give him mine, too!
Kids and grandkids,
We promise one thing:
Ukraine’s in Europe!
The Maidan will win!
The Maidan will win!
Smiling for the Duke,
Standing on the Maidan!
Duke and us, together we all,
Want to go to Europe land!
Give your neighbor a hand,
That’s the only way to win!
We’ll never give up on Odesa or our land!
We’ll never give them up!
Smile at the Duke
and he’ll smile back at you
He’ll give us a hand,
So I’ll give him mine, too!
Kids and grandkids,
We promise one thing:
Ukraine’s in Europeland!
And we’re the Euromaidan
Ukraine is Europeland
Everyone go to Maidan!
Ukraine is Europe,
And the Maidan will win!!
Translated by Lidia Wolanski
Related:
- The National Anthem of Ukraine translated to English
- Crimean university students sing the Ukrainian anthem to pro-Russian official’s face
- Ukrainian national echoes in Moscow: Yuriy Cheban paddles to victory (VIDEO in English)
- Sevastopol students sing Ukrainian anthem while Russian flag is raised (VIDEO)
- Musicians played the EU anthem in airports of six Ukrainian cities (VIDEO)
- A Ukrainian Christmas playlist from Euromaidan Press
