Below, I translated the lyrics of the song Прощай, Элита! (Proshchai, Elita!) by Ленинград (Leningrad) from Russian to English.
Tvorcheskii i kreativnii lyud
Creative, artistic folk
V panike za zhizn’, kakoi uzh net
Panic for a life already gone
Otorvavshis’ ot vintsa i blyud
Pulled away from wine and plates
Plachutsya o sud’bakh v internet
Crying about fate online
O kurortakh, villakh i schetakh
About resorts, villas, and accounts
Tekh, chto prevratili razom v pil’
The ones that turned to dust at once
Ne voina strashit ikh, a tshcheta
It's not war that scares them but futility
I nakoplennikh nichtozhnost’ mil’
And the worthlessness of miles they've racked
Nu, ti kuda zh, kumir
Well, where you headed, idol
Oi, mil’, pardon
Oh, miles, pardon
S krikami 'Za mir!'
Shouting 'For peace!'
S”ebal on za kordon
He f*cked off abroad
Finita lya komed’-komed’, finita
Finita la comedy-comedy, finita
Zdes’ mozhno okhuet’, proshchai, elita
This can blow your f*cking mind, bye, elite
Polyubasu vremya konchilos’ kolbas
For sure, sausage times are over
Forumov, furshetov, biennale
Forums, buffets, biennales
K nam samim prishyol polnii Donbass
A full Donbas has come right to us
I pizdets vsem garantirovan v finale
And a total f*ck-up is guaranteed for all in the end
Gumanisti, v prochem, ved’, i ya zhe
Humanists, after all, and me too
Kto seichas vspomnit smert’ Saddam Khuseina
Who now recalls Saddam Hussein's death
Barishnya pri polnom makiyazhe
A girl in full makeup
Fotku skorbi postit u basseina
Posts a grief photo by the pool
Nu, ti kuda zh, kumir
Well, where you headed, idol
Oi, mil’, pardon
Oh, miles, pardon
S krikami 'Za mir!'
Shouting 'For peace!'
S”ebal on za kordon
He f*cked off abroad
Finita lya komed’-komed’, finita
Finita la comedy-comedy, finita
Zdes’ mozhno okhuet’, proshchai, elita
This can blow your f*cking mind, bye, elite
Mi yeshchyo uslishim v etikh glotkakh
We'll still hear in those throats
Mol, zdes’ ostalis’ bidlo-govnoedi
That only lowlife sh*t-eaters stayed here
Ot tekh, kto ran’she fotochki v pilotkakh
From those who used to post pics in pilot caps
Veshal na stranichku v Den’ Pobedi
On their page on Victory Day
Otdikhat’, vdrug, zakhotel tvoi otprisk
Your kid suddenly wanted a break
No v ogne, ved’ ne bivaet broda
But you can't wade through fire
Da, ponyatno vsem, chto eto prosto otpusk
Yeah, everyone knows it's just a vacation
Nu, a mislyami i serdtsem ti s narodom
But in thought and heart you're with the people
Nu, ti kuda zh, kumir
Well, where you headed, idol
Oi, mil’, pardon
Oh, miles, pardon
S krikami 'Za mir!'
Shouting 'For peace!'
S”ebal on za kordon
He f*cked off abroad
Finita lya komed’-komed’, finita
Finita la comedy-comedy, finita
Zdes’ mozhno okhuet’, proshchai, elita
This can blow your f*cking mind, bye, elite
Finita lya komed’-komed’, finita
Finita la comedy-comedy, finita
Zdes’ mozhno okhuet’, proshchai, elita
This can blow your f*cking mind, bye, elite
Lyrics and Translations Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Did you like these lyrics?
SONG MEANING
Imagine a wild, sarcastic farewell party where the champagne-sipping VIPs suddenly realize the music has stopped. “Proshchai, Elita!” is Leningrad’s raw goodbye to Russia’s creative and financial upper crust who rushed abroad once real trouble knocked at the door. Through biting humor and explicit slang, frontman Sergey Shnurov mocks their online laments about lost villas, frozen bank accounts, and canceled art-scene soirées, pointing out that they fear not war itself but the collapse of their cushy lifestyles.
As the chorus shouts “Finita la comedy, proshchai, elita,” the song calls out the hypocrisy of posting poolside “peace” selfies while ordinary people face the brutal reality of conflict. It is a punk-rock roast that strips the elite of their glamour, labeling their exodus a self-centered escape rather than a moral stand. Leningrad turns righteous anger into a raucous anthem, reminding listeners that true solidarity is measured in actions, not hashtags or first-class tickets.
Did you know?
In addition to reading lyric translations, you can now learn Russian with music and lyrics from your favorite artists.
No more boring lessons. You can now learn with engaging and culturally relevant lyrics from the best artists.