I’m sure many of you remember when Ukrainian singer Jamala won the Eurovision song contest with ‘1944’. The song concerns the deportation of the Crimean Tatars (including Jamala’s great-grandmother) by the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin to central Siberia. The song was released amid renewed repression of the Tatars with the Russian annexation of Crimea. The songs chorus is in the Crimean language based on a folk song she heard from her great-grandmother. With the current events, the song has gained new poignancy and a renewed following. Here are the lyrics and her performance.
When strangers are coming
They come to your house
They kill you all
and say
We’re not guilty
not guilty Where is your mind?
Humanity cries
You think you are gods
But everyone dies
Don’t swallow my soul
Our souls
Yaşlığıma toyalmadım
Men bu yerde yaşalmadım
Yaşlığıma toyalmadım
Men bu yerde yaşalmadım
We could build a future
Where people are free
to live and love
The happiest time
Where is your heart?
Humanity rise
You think you are gods
But everyone dies
Don’t swallow my soul
Our souls
Yaşlığıma toyalmadım
Men bu yerde yaşalmadım
Yaşlığıma toyalmadım
Men bu yerde yaşalmadım
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