This site requires Javascript to be turned on. Please enable Javascript and reload the page.

The Birth of Pussy Riot: Six Early Songs

Will beg the feminist wedge for mercy

Begging the “feminist wedge for mercy” is an interesting word usage that is difficult to completely translate into English. “Wedge” (klin) here is referring to either the military meaning of when troops break through enemy lines and slowly deepen their advantage or the more simple idea of a wedge that prevents something from being closed— i.e. Pussy Riot will not let this oppression continue to run rampant and be accepted. The politicians hiding behind the Kremlin’s walls will regret their actions and beg for mercy from the feminists they wronged.

Note: The use of the word klin as wedge could also intentionally echo the famous 1919 Soviet propaganda poster “Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge!” (Klinom krasnym bey belykh) created by Lazar Markovich Lissitzky (see below). Considered an example of the Russian art movement and philosophy of Constructivism, the red wedge is supposed to symbolize the Bolsheviks’ dominating power while the white circle being invaded is representative of the failing White movement of the Russian Civil War.

This page is referenced by:

“Putin’s Pissed Himself” (2012) Pussy Riot’s next song, Putin zassal, can be translated aptly as “Putin’s Pissed Himself.” This song is a stark criticism of the Russian president. Performed on January 20, 2012, over a month after “Death to Prison, Freedom to Protest,” the one and only performance of “Putin’s Pissed Himself” featured eight Pussy Riot members in total—the most for any of their performances—and was held on top of the famous Lobnoye Mesto on Red Square, Moscow.¹ Both the rise in participants and the chosen location reveals the group's increasingly bold and daring nature of their performances. Pussy Riot chose to perform such an inflammatory song at and on top of the Lobnoye Mesto strategically; the song was inspired by the 1968 Red Square Demonstration that took place at that exact spot, as well as the December 24, 2011 mass protests that took place against Putin and the recent State Duma election results.²

The performance’s location was illegal. Pussy Riot members had to climb over a locked gate and bypass guards to access the Lobnoye Mesto, which was closed to the public at the time.³ Due to this and a smoke bomb that set off mid performance, the members were eventually arrested and detained. They were later interrogated and pressured to reveal their actual identities, but multiple Pussy Riot members have stated that they revealed nothing about themselves other than their aliases. Two members later ended up being found guilty of a misdemeanor “under article 20.2 of the Administrative Code (violation of the rules for conducting rallies and pickets)” and were fined 500 rubles each—now around 6.50 USD, but in 2012 this was around 16.50 USD.⁴

There are additional reports of the performance’s spectators being arrested and detained for filming Pussy Riot’s performance on their devices; some even stated that the police erased all video evidence and/or destroyed their property before letting them go.⁵

Performance footage provided below, followed by lyrics and cultural commentary in annotation form:

Lyrics in Russian:	Lyrics in simplified ALA-LC style:	Lyrics in English:
К Кремлю идет восставшая колонна В ФСБшных кабинетах взрываются окна. Суки ссут за красными стенами Riot объявляют Аборт Системе! Атака на рассвете? Не стану возражать За нашу и вашу свободу хлыстом карать Мадонна во славе научит драться Феминистка Магдалина пошла на демонстрацию Бунт в России — харизма протеста Бунт в России — путин зассал Бунт в России — мы существуем Бунт в России — райот райот Выйди на улицу, Живи на Красной Покажи свободу Гражданской злости Недовольство культурой мужской истерии Дикий вождизм пожирает мозги Православная религия жесткого пениса Пациентам предлагается принять конформность Режим идет к цензуре сновидения Пришло время подрывного столкновения Стая сук сексистского режима Просит прощения у феминисткого клина. Бунт в России — харизма протеста Бунт в России — путин зассал Бунт в России — мы существуем Бунт в России — райот райот Выйди на улицу, Живи на Красной Покажи свободу Гражданской злости	K Kremliu idet vosstavshaia kolonna V FSBshnykh kabinetakh vzryvaiutsia okna. Suki ssut za krasnymi stenami Riot ob”iavliaiut Abort Sisteme! Ataka na rassvete? Ne stanu vozrazhat’ Za nashu i vashu svobodu khlystom karat’ Madonna vo slave nauchit drat’sia Feministka Magdalina poshla na demonstratsiiu Bunt v Rossii — kharizma protesta Bunt v Rossii — putin zassal Bunt v Rossii — my sushchestvuem Bunt v Rossii — raĭot raĭot Vyĭdi na ulitsu, Zhivi na Krasnoĭ Pokazhi svobodu Grazhdanskoĭ zlosti Nedovol’stvo kul’turoĭ muzhskoĭ isterii Dikiĭ vozhdizm pozhiraet mozgi Pravoslavnaia religiia zhestkogo penisa Patsientam predlagaetsia priniat’ konformnost’ Rezhim idet k tsenzure snovideniia Prishlo vremia podryvnogo stolknoveniia Staia suk seksistskogo rezhima Prosit proshcheniia u feministkogo klina. Bunt v Rossii — kharizma protesta Bunt v Rossii — putin zassal Bunt v Rossii — my sushchestvuem Bunt v Rossii — raĭot raĭot Vyĭdi na ulitsu, Zhivi na Krasnoĭ Pokazhi svobodu Grazhdanskoĭ zlosti	A column of insurgents marches on the Kremlin Shattering windows of FSB offices.⁶ The bitches are pissing themselves behind the red walls As Pussy Riot proclaims “Abort the System!” Charge at dawn? I don’t mind For our freedom and yours,⁷ I will punish them with a whip⁸ Madonna in Glory⁹ will teach us to fight The feminist Mary Magdalene herself was a protester Riot in Russia — the charisma of the protest Riot in Russia — Putin’s pissed himself Riot in Russia — we exist Riot in Russia — riot, riot Go out on the street, Live on Red Square Show them Civic rage unleashed We are discontent with a culture of male hysteria Where a savage cult-like leader devours brains Orthodoxy is a religion of the hard penis Its patients are invited to accept conformity This regime is going to censor dreams The time has come for an incendiary collision The sexist regime’s pack of bitches Will beg the feminist wedge for mercy.¹⁰ Riot in Russia — the charisma of the protest Riot in Russia — Putin’s pissed himself Riot in Russia — we exist Riot in Russia — riot, riot Go out on the street, Live on Red Square Show them Civic rage unleashed

“Pank-vystuplenie na Lobnom meste Krasnoĭ ploshchadi ‘Putin Zassal,’” Pussy Riot: Kak v krasnoĭ tiur’me, January 20, 2012, http://pussy-riot.info/blog/2012/1/20/putin-zassal.↵
Nathan Toohey, “Pussy Riot fined for Red Square performance,” Internet Archive’s copy of The Moscow Times, January 24, 2012, https://web.archive.org/web/20120511062907/http://themoscownews.com/local/20120124/189394688.html.↵
“Pank-vystuplenie na Lobnom meste Krasnoĭ ploshchadi ‘Putin Zassal.’”↵
Paul Routledge, Space Invaders: Radical Geographies of Protest (London: Pluto Press, 2017), 126.↵
“Pank-vystuplenie na Lobnom meste Krasnoĭ ploshchadi ‘Putin Zassal.’”↵
Ibid.↵
Vitaly Yaroshevsky, “Na Lobnom meste: Vosem’ chelovek v vos’moĭ mesiats 68-go goda,” Internet Archive’s copy of Novaya Gazeta, August 21, 2008, https://web.archive.org/web/20080904084029/http://www.novayagazeta.ru/data/2008/61/17.html.↵
“Na Krasnoĭ ploshchadi zaderzhali pank-feministok Pussy Riot,” BBC, January 20, 2012, https://www.bbc.com/russian/russia/2012/01/120120_pussy_riot_red_square.↵
David Herszenhorn, “In Russia, Madonna Defends a Band’s Anti-Putin Stunt,” The New York Times, August 7, 2012, https://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/08/world/europe/madonna-defends-pussy-riot-at-moscow-concert.html.↵
Zuzanna Stanska, “El Lissitzky – Beat The Whites With The Red Wedge,” Daily Art Magazine, July 22, 2018, https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/beat-the-whites-with-the-red-wedge/.↵

This page references:

"Клином красным бей белых!" (Klinom krasnym bey belykh!)