“Mom bought a tractor!” Croatia’s Let 3 use “Mama SC!” lyrics to rail against war-mongers

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)