The Croatian five-piece Let 3 are master provocateurs. Known for vulgar lyrics and obscene live performances, the group have, among other things, masturbated in a music video and been fined by police for performing naked at an outdoor concert. In 2008, their appearance on the Nedjeljom u dva talk show was cut short after they dropped a series of expletives and pretended to pop corks out of their rectums.

And now they’re ready to take their firebrand — but hopefully not their used bottle tops — to Eurovision 2023 in Liverpool. What madness do the lyrics of their song “Mama ŠČ” address? Read on to find out…

Scroll down for the “Mama ŠČ” lyrics

Eurovision 2023: Let 3 “Mama ŠČ”

Let 3 formed in the city of Rijeka, which is known for its Hapsburg heritage, for its raucous carnival each February and for being the epicentre of the country’s punk scene. Given the eclectic influences at home, it’s perhaps not surprising that the band have varied interests. 

In 2001 they collaborated with architects to construct the statue Babin kurac, which translates to “Grandma’s penis.” It depicted an elderly woman with a one-metre member and, nodding to the band’s signature facial hair, a horseshoe moustache.

The group were well-established at home well-before Dora 2023 — Croatia’s Eurovision 2023 national selection. They’ve released ten albums, including 1997’s Nečuveno (“Unheard-of” or “Outrageous”). It was completely blank, but sold out anyway. 

Building on their immense popularity and decades of success, the group topped both the jury and the televote at home with their eye-popping performance. Some members performed in dresses — their moustaches conjuring notorious dictators from the past — and the lead singer looked like he’d been bloodied through battle. Digital dancers on the graphics wall performed in unison, conjuring something you’d see from choreographed troops or dancers at a North Korean mass spectacle. A madman dressed in black eventually appeared holding two nuclear warheads. The letters on his forehead and weapons can be re-arranged to spell Lenjin — the Croatian spelling of Lenin. 

What do the “Mama ŠČ” lyrics mean?

The chaos and mayhem smack of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. But Let 3 use satire to comment on Russian aggression against Ukraine. 

“It’s not a political song, it’s a song against war,” they told Croatia’s N1 Info. “Our only wish is for the war to stop as soon as possible and for peace and love to emerge.”

With that in mind, fans and commentators have developed their own interpretations of the lyrics. Generally speaking, the song mocks dictators whose thirst for control and power puts the world at risk. Armageddon is a not-so-subtle reference to Russian nukes: “Armageddon nona…that little psychopath, a little vile psychopath.”

The “tractor” is thought to reference the relationship between Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko and Russia’s Vladimir Putin.

Back in October, Lukashekno gave Putin a tractor for his 70th birthday. And then in February, Russian forces invaded Ukraine from Belarus. Minsk has continued to support Russia with supply lines and medical care for troops, among other things. In that sense Belarus is a “vehicle” for Russia to wage war. 

In the song it’s “Mama” who buys the tractor for a particular idiot — and it’s clear the group don’t approve: “Mama kissed a moron, I’m going to war.” They’ve been explicit with their dismay. In a recent TV interview, they said Putin “thinks the planet is his toy.”

And what about the repetitive “ŠČ”? Well it’s just two letters from the Croatian alphabet and it has no meaning. 

Damir Matrinovic — who goes by Mrle — gave N1 a non-sensical answer when they asked for the meaning. 

“5000 years older than the first alphabet found, it is the oldest letter,” he said. “Now we will send our alphabet from Dora into orbit by spaceship. When Armageddon on Earth subsides, the rocket will return and bring the first alphabet again.”

Mrle, along with bandmate Zoran Prodanovic, who goes by Prlja, added that the letters can also mean “blood type” or refer to “a sigh during an orgasm or meditation.”

Needless to say, the meaning is open to interpretation.

“Mama ŠČ​” lyrics – Let 3 (Croatia Eurovision 2023)

Croatian text

Mama kupila traktora
ŠČ!
Mama kupila traktora
ŠČ!
Mama kupila traktora
Trajna-nina
Armagedon nona
ŠČ!
 
Mama kupila traktora
ŠČ!
Mama kupila traktora
ŠČ!
Mama kupila traktora
Trajna-nina
Armagedon nona
 
TRAKTOR
 
Mama ljubila morona
ŠČ!
Mama ljubila morona
ŠČ!
Mama ljubila morona
Trajna-nina
Armagedon nona
 
A b c č ć d dž đ e f g h i j k l lj m n nj o p r s š t u v z ž
 
Mama, mama, mama, ja se idem igrat’
Mama, idem u rat
 
Onaj mali psihopat
Mali podli psihopat
Krokodilski psihopat
Mama, idem u rat
 
TRAKTOR
 
Mama ljubila morona
ŠČ!
Mama ljubila morona
ŠČ!
Mama ljubila morona
Trajna-nina
Armagedon nona
 
Onaj mali psihopat
Mali podli psihopat
Krokodilski psihopat
Mama, idem u rat
 
Onaj mali psihopat
Mali podli psihopat
Krokodilski psihopat
Mama, idem u rat
 
Mama, mama, mama
 
Onaj mali psihopat48
Mali podli psihopat
Krokodilski psihopat
Mama, idem u rat
 
ŠČ!

English translation

Mommy bought the tractor
ŠČ!
Mommy bought the tractor
ŠČ!
Mommy bought the tractor
‘Trajna nina’ armageddon-granny
ŠČ!
 
Mommy bought the tractor
ŠČ!
Mommy bought the tractor
ŠČ!
Mommy bought the tractor
‘Trajna nina’ armageddon-granny
ŠČ!


TRACTOR

Mommy kissed the moron
ŠČ!
Mommy kissed the moron
ŠČ!
Mommy kissed the moron
‘Trajna Nina’
Armageddon-granny

A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V,W, X, Y, Z…….

Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy
I’m going to play
Mom, I’m going to war
That little psychopath
War war
Evil little psychopath
War war
Alligator psychopath
War war
Mommy, I’m going to war

TRACTOR

Mommy kissed the moron
ŠČ!
Mommy kissed the moron
ŠČ!
Mommy kissed the moron
‘Trajna Nina’ armageddon-granny

That little psychopath
War war war
Evil little psychopath
War war war
Alligator psychopath
Mommy, I’m going to war

Mommy, mommy, mommy
 
Shch!

 

50 Comments
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WarIsCrime
WarIsCrime
10 months ago

I read somewhere that Š? (SchCh) is how the Russian Z (letter on Russian tanks) sounds. But I am not sure.

Scott
10 months ago

What the he’ll. I thought it was mama bought a tractor

Marduk7
Marduk7
10 months ago

Considering the actual content and the context of the song, this should be the closest, if not the actual, translation of the song. Greetings from Croatia º This is the anti-war song with sarcastic lyrics and irony – ¹ It refers to when Belarus President Lukashenko have bought a tractor to the Russian President Putin as a gift, so since Russia finances Belarus, basically Russia bought a tractor to itself ² Š? (?) is a letter of the Russian alphabet (Russian azbuka), and the nickname for Russia is Mother Russia ³ Singing of (nuclear) lullaby (sarcasm) ? Croatian Alphabet, in… Read more »

Marduk7
Marduk7
10 months ago

True lyrics are: [Verse 1] Mama bought a tractor, shch! Mama bought a tractor, shch! Mama bought a tractor Trayna-neena, armageddon-nona, shch! Mama bought a tractor, shch! Mama bought a tractor, shch! Mama bought a tractor Trayna-neena, armageddon-nona, shch! Tractor… [Verse 2] Mama was kissing a moron, schch! Mama was kissing a moron, schch! Mama was kissing a moron Trayna-neena, armageddon-nona [Pre-Chorus / Croatian Alphabet]  A, b, c, ?, ?, d, dž, ? (A, b, c, ?, ?, d, dž, ?) E, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, lj, m, n, nj (A, b, c, ?, ?, d, dž,… Read more »

Bandurite
Bandurite
10 months ago

Š? is typical, almost distinctive, sound of Belarusian language. Look up “Š?U?YNŠ?YNA” for example. So it makes perfect sense that a song about Lukashenko has it.

TwitterCircus
TwitterCircus
11 months ago

Circus Mircus of 2023

luca
luca
10 months ago
Reply to  TwitterCircus

circus mircus is good

BadWoolfGirl
BadWoolfGirl
11 months ago

mommy kissed the moron, huh? I would’ve thought it was translate to mommy loves a moron.

Colin
Colin
11 months ago
Reply to  BadWoolfGirl

Ljubila (feminine form of third person of past simple (perfekt)) literally means ”she kissed”, but between the lines, especially in poetry, the verb has often been used to say ”she loved”. In this case, I believe that the figurative meaning of ”she loved” would be more accurate. However, ”she kissed” still manages to depict some of the point – mama in this song is a gullible woman. 😉

Syl
Syl
11 months ago
Reply to  BadWoolfGirl

Yes it would be “mum loved a moron”, the verb ljubiti in Croatian means “to kiss”, it can also mean “to love”, but that is more in a literary, archaic sense, nobody would use that in real life today. But maybe this is the meaning the band went for…

Syl
Syl
11 months ago
Reply to  Syl

I meant – mum kissed a moron, whoops. That would be the literal translation, the other interpretation would make sense only in an archaic context.

Jonkonfui
Jonkonfui
11 months ago

Ok the message and whatnot but are you all aware that they repeat Mommy bought a tractor, 6 times in a row??

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
11 months ago
Reply to  Jonkonfui

Haha, yes. That songwriting reminds me of some folk songs that are associated with children, such as “The wheels on the bus go round and round.”

Tom
Tom
11 months ago
Reply to  Jonkonfui

Did you know that in Austrian song they repeat 60 times word Poe, or that in Finish song they say “Cha” 87 times?

Jonkonfui
Jonkonfui
11 months ago
Reply to  Tom

It is not exactly the same as:
Mommy bought a tractor.
Mommy bought a tractor
Mommy bought a tractor
Mommy bought a tractor
Mommy bought a tractor
Mommy bought a tractor
Mommy kissed the Moron
Mommy kissed the Moron
Mommy kissed the Moron.

Zhenia
Zhenia
11 months ago
Reply to  Jonkonfui

It’s hard to get political messages across otherwise on Eurovision without getting banned.

Syl
Syl
11 months ago

It wasn’t them masturbating in that video, but extras dressed up as them, one of which was a woman with a dildo….still, it was add very controversial thing.

The video can still be viewed on several p0rn sites, look up “Rado ide Srbin u vojnike”….or don’t ?

Syl
Syl
11 months ago
Reply to  Syl

* a very controversial thing

Syl
Syl
11 months ago

It wasn’t them masturbating in that video, but extras dressed up as them, one of which was a woman with a dildo….still, it was add very controversial thing.

The video can still be viewed on several porn sites, look up “Rado ide Srbin u vojnike”….or don’t 😀

poe-tay-toe-chips
poe-tay-toe-chips
11 months ago

I always interpreted the “s?!” bit as the sound you make when you spit in disgust actually, which i thought was fitting to what they were going for

poe-tay-toe-chips
poe-tay-toe-chips
11 months ago

***Š?

i don’t now why my computer changed that, but point still stands

poe-tay-toe-chips
poe-tay-toe-chips
11 months ago

wow it’s still doing it for some reason :-/

Samo
Samo
11 months ago

Personally I believe it’s a reference to ? symbol of the cyrlic alphabet. That would make the most sense.

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
11 months ago

Indeed, that is how I interpreted the sound as well.

Efthymios
Efthymios
11 months ago

ŠC

Teddi
Teddi
11 months ago

12 points to Croatia!

Kinn
Kinn
11 months ago

I appreciate the message, and love the tongue-in-cheek lyrics, but the overall sound and performance aren’t necessarily for me. Still, no better place to make a lasting impression than Eurovision. Good on Croatia for taking the risk.

Frapé
Frapé
11 months ago

Š? is actually an ancient letter shared by Russians and Ukrainians

joe
joe
10 months ago
Reply to  Frapé

Š? is ancient letter/sound shared in all slavic languages.

esc_fl
esc_fl
11 months ago

Sure, Wiwi, let’s use the words “eclectic,” “varied,” and “provocateurs.” The correct word is “gross.”

Tom
Tom
11 months ago
Reply to  esc_fl

Talking about yourself?

Chupacabra
Chupacabra
11 months ago

Will definitely call for Let 3’s Š?. In my top 5, cos I do love that whole package and ridiculisation of War.

Sol Stevia
Sol Stevia
11 months ago

I randomly say “Mom bought a Tractor!” in the 3 languages that I know throughout the day. Please send help.

Devito
11 months ago

I’ve been wondering what it reminds me of, and I finally realized what kind of resemblance my brain was trying to warn me about. To me, it’s a mixture between Borat, Idiocracy, and The Beautician and the Beast from the acting perspective, mixed with music from the early 2000s. I guess some people will love it, but I, for one, find this whole package cringe-worthy and the early 2000s generally uncomfortable for music. Dora had better choices this year, I think.

Esc addict / Shut up and watch my ...
Esc addict / Shut up and watch my ...
11 months ago

The most divisive entry of the year, anyway there’s always divisive entries among the eurofans nothing new, now you can’t praise the cleverness of the Austrian song without saying the same about this one, musically apart it’s at the same level, it’s a statement about an important topic made in a satirical and a crazy way. The Austrian song is more easy musically to listen and more danceable and radio friendly that’s true but the Croatian song was not made in the same perspective, now the first time I saw it from my westerner perspective I was like but wtf… Read more »

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
11 months ago

Indeed, there is one part of the music for Croatia’s song that is particularly difficult to decipher- that’s where the alphabet is sounded. It’s almost like someone is flicking through several different TV channels, then comes back to the first one. Divisive indeed, not just on a visual or satirical level, but musically divisive as well.

Benito Camelo
Benito Camelo
11 months ago

I’m pretty sure this will make it to the final, much to the dismay of many so-called fans

Benito Camelo
Benito Camelo
11 months ago
Reply to  Benito Camelo

Personally, I like the song but it took me some time to warm up to it. Now that I can see it, the song is clever and straightforward and isn’t that political despite being a very political and current topic

Sol Stevia
Sol Stevia
11 months ago
Reply to  Benito Camelo

I was always a fan of the message but not a fan of it musically. Now it’s my current 8th lmao. Things happen.

As far is Q’ing is concerned, I won’t be shocked if it doesn’t make it but I am almost certain it will place at least 9th in the semi if not much much higher.

Vivian
Vivian
11 months ago

Troll acts were a thing of the late 2000’s era. It seems Croatia didn’t get the memo. If anything, I feel like this immediately should’ve gotten the “We Don’t Wanna Put In” treatment. This is a waste of time, and it would be extremely sour if a dumpster fire like this qualifies over an actual song

Sol Stevia
Sol Stevia
11 months ago
Reply to  Vivian

To be honest I find that sending this a year after Ukraine won will make Ukrainians (And other ex USSR countries) really happy.

It certainly puts a smile on my face.

Panna
Panna
11 months ago
Reply to  Vivian

Troll acts from 2000s did not have any meaning. Songs like I’m A Joker, Pirates Of The Sea, Irlande Douze Point and all the other I cannot name are nothing like Mama SC

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
11 months ago
Reply to  Vivian

Yes, I feel bad for Stephane and 3G (2009’s “We Don’t Wanna Out In”) now, who, apart from Tamara, didn’t get their chance at Eurovision. That’s the power of hindsight.

Purple Mask
Purple Mask
11 months ago
Reply to  Purple Mask

It’s “Put In”, not “Out In” – perhaps autocorrect knows something I don’t.

Moonstar
Moonstar
11 months ago

I would never pay to go to a concert to listen to someone who can’t sing (I’m referring to the lead singer of the group). That would be a terrible waste of my hard earned money. I would just listen to the audio in the comfort of my home. As for the (visual) show, I can watch it on TV. (…). I do, however, like their song and I wish them the best.

Joey
Joey
11 months ago
Reply to  Moonstar

The lead singer can sing, tho.

Moonstar
Moonstar
11 months ago
Reply to  Joey

If that reality suits you, be happy.

Doris
Doris
11 months ago
Reply to  Moonstar

Avoid Finland’s singer for sure then.

Moss
Moss
10 months ago
Reply to  Moonstar

Nobody would want you at that concert either. Seems like a waste of a good atmosphere having you there.

Johnny
Johnny
11 months ago

Love this!
They will cause major upset among ESC fans when voting in final is finished!
So unique and original.
Well done Let3 and Croatia! ?