“Doll no more, I won my fight” – Masha Kondratenko tries to find light in the darkness in “No Time to Cry” lyrics

Although Masha Kondratenko has been around for a little while, it’s hard to believe “No Time to Cry” is her first attempt to represent Ukraine at Eurovision. However, she is one of the ten finalists of Vidbir 2025. Her song is a story of light in dark times and a tale of maturing in Ukraine right now.

Scroll down to read the “No Time to Cry” lyrics and its translation

Vidbir 2025: Masha Kondratenko “No Time to Cry”

Of all the acts in this year’s Vidbir, Masha Kondratenko has the largest following. The 25-year-old hitmaker came to the world in Shostka, Sumy Oblast – that’s northeastern Ukraine – but grew up in the eastern city of Kharkiv. 

Many young Ukrainians initially came across her as an actress in the teen sitcom Shkola, where she played the supporting role of Sonia, an internet blogger. While expanding her career as an influencer and a blogger herself, she took part in the 2020 series of The Voice of Ukraine. 

However, her musical career took flight after she published the song “Ванька-встанька” – a humorous dig at the Russian army in 2022. In the past two years, Masha Kondratenko jas become a household name in Ukraine. Among her recent releases is the partly French-language single “un deux trois” for which she shot its music video in Paris. Currently, she has close to 300,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. 

What do the “No Time to Cry” lyrics mean? 

Masha Kondratenko’s team described “No Time to Cry” as “a story about light in the midst of immense darkness, which gives us inspiration to move forward even in times of war”. The track describes the “normal abnomality” about the life that has continued in Ukraine despite the difficulties the country faced in the past years. 

In an exclusive comment to Wiwibloggs, Masha described the song as follows: 

“My song is about the state of each of us today. When everything seems to be okay, but inside, there are emotional swings, a constant struggle with despair, pain from losses and a sense of injustice because what we have to live through. At the same time, light and hope are fighting for a place in our hearts, because we have no right to give, to give up.” 

“I feel that with this song, I am ready to represent Ukraine at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. It contains our DNA, the modernity of Ukrainian music, strength and determination. I know for sure that true sincerity can win over listeners from all over the world. I hope that the song will resonate with you.”

Listening to “No Time to Cry”, you will immediately notice that the song consists of two parts: the Ukrainian-language chorus and the English-language verses. The whole track contains a dichotomy between different elements: Ukrainian and English, electronical music and ethnic music, and memories of the past and the reality of the present. 

The Ukrainian chorus, with which the song also opens, describes that exact feeling of “normal abnormality”. It paints a scene of someone at home taking notice of the world around them, which seems somewhat normal, but is in fact not. Translated, Masha sings: “The wind howls, wailing by the window/ Children play quietly, the night is so gloomy”

The first verse and bridge in English describe typical childhood memories. Masha sings: “I was once a child’s delight/ Sweetest friend with a painted smile/ Swinging on my strings, tried to fly/ Living in the world that was so alive”. They are contrasted by the second part of the song that tells a more current emotion: “I’ve grown tired of the battles fired/ All these milk-and-water faces/ hot and cold embraces”. 

The image of a doll, a popular children’s toy aimed at young girls, takes the centre stage as a motive too. In the first verse, Masha signs about a doll as a symbol of youth and weakness, while in the latter part of the track, the doll is a symbol of maturity and of past naïvity.

Those lyrics will resonate with a lot of Ukrainians who try to continue their lives as normally as possible while they face the challenges that the war brings to their everyday life. At this point, almost all Ukrainians have lost family members or friends on the front and during bombings in the past three years. Despite this, they try to find a ray of light in the dark to continue to look forward in life, to not let the war destroy their life. 

Masha Kondratenko “No Time to Cry” lyrics and translation

Music and lyrics: Masha Kondratenko (lyrics and music) Stanislav Maliko (co-author lyrics) and Roman Hrysiuk (co-author music)

The translation of the lyrics was provided to Wiwibloggs by Masha Kondratenko’s management geisha ninja samurai

What do you think of Masha Kondratenko’s song? Do you understand the song better after having read its lyrics? Do you want Masha to represent Ukraine with “No Time to Cry”? Let us know in the comments down below!