Natalia Gordienko was due to represent Moldova at Eurovision 2020 with her song “Prison”.
Scroll down for “Prison” lyrics.
Moldova in Eurovision 2020: Natalia Gordienko “Prison”
Moldova again used a national final to select its act for Eurovision, but this time renamed the show as Finala Națională 2020. Twenty acts competed in the grand final, but it was Natalia Gordienko who won. Her song “Prison” picked up 12 points from both the jury and televote, ensuring she was Moldova’s favourite to go to Eurovision 2020.
Natalia Gordienko is a Moldovan singer, dancer and television host. In 2006, she represented Moldova at Eurovision, performing with the boyband star Arsenium. Their song “Loca” placed 20th in the grand final.
What do the “Prison” lyrics mean?
“Prison” explores a woman tormented by the different emotions she feels towards a complicated lover. Natalia opens the song with the killer line “I don’t wanna feel you / I don’t wanna feel you this close”. It’s attraction and repulsion in equal quantities, being drawn to a person but knowing he’s just no good for her.
The song uses the symbolism of a prison as a metaphor for how Natalia feels imprisoned by her emotions. But this ain’t no jailhouse rock. It’s a prison inside her mind.
In the pre-chorus, Natalia describes her emotional incarceration, singing “I am surrounded by walls / Covered with all your memories / Wish this were solitary”. But it’s clear she isn’t in solitary confinement — she’s sharing her symbolic prison cell with someone she loves and hates in equal measures.
“Prison” lyrics – Natalia Gordienko (Moldova ESC 2020)
Written and composed by: Sharon Vaughn, Dimitris Kontopoulos, Phillip Kirkorov
Dimitris Kontopoulos and Phillip Kirkorov are part of the so-called “Dream Team” who have been behind many Eurovision hits from previous years. Most recently, they wrote Sergey Lazarev’s “Scream” in 2019, with lyrics by Sharon Vaughn. Vaughn joins the “Dream Team” again as the “Prison” lyricist.
Text
I don’t wanna feel you
I don’t wanna feel you this close
I don’t wanna hold you
Do I wanna hold or let go
I don’t wanna fight the night
Inside with you
I am surrounded by walls
Covered with all your memories
Wish this were solitary no
Walking with me in the halls
So there is no forgetting
I know you’ll never let me
I don’t wanna be with you
I don’t wanna be without you
I don’t wanna to be with you
I don’t wanna to be without you
Prison
I can’t escape from this
Prison
Love is a fool’s prison
I don’t wanna need you
I don’t wanna seem so desperate
I don’t wanna tell you
I don’t wanna hear it’s useless
I don’t wanna fight the night
Inside with you
I am surrounded by walls
Covered with all your memories
Wish this were solitary
I don’t wanna be with you
I don’t wanna be without you
I don’t wanna be with you
I don’t wanna be without you
Prison
I can’t escape from this
Prison
Love is a fool’s prison
Ohhh……
Prison
I can’t escape from this
Prison
Love is a fool’s prison
Do Natalia’s lyrics speak to you? Do you think the message of the song comes through clearly? Sound off in the comments below.
These lyrics would reach a lot of people in lockdown right now.
With Slovenia most underrated country this year.
I am loving this entry. I think it speaks to a certain time in your life. For me, it’s when you’ve got kids and things are not going great with your partner. You have so many amazing memories with your partner, but there’s so much wrong as well. You end up feeling trapped with the walls closing in on you, like in a prison, but also conflicted because some of those memories are really good and you have so much you have shared in your life with the other person. I think this is one of the more mature entries… Read more »