For the sixth year we hand out the Eurostory Best Lyrics Award – the award for the best song lyrics of the Eurovision year. Previous awards were won by Ukraine (2016), France (2017, 2018) and Italy (2019, 2021). This year six entries are nominated. They are revealed one by one, and Saskia Halfmouw gives us a unique visual interpretation of each song.

The third nominee for the Eurostory Best Lyrics Award 2022 is: Ukraine.

Country: Ukraine
Title: Stefania
Artist: Kalush Orchestra
Lyricist(s): Ivan Klymenko & Oleh Psiuk

Jury report
Stefania has become a song that expresses the pain of the horrendous war in Ukraine, albeit through a different route: it simply describes the love for all our mothers. Underneath that declaration of love sits an indictment against the destruction of that which is most important: one’s family, roots, home and country. The members of Kalush Orchestra couldn’t have known at the time what added meaning their song would gain, but a line such as ‘Розквітає поле, а вона сивіє’ (‘The fields are blossoming, but her hair is turning gray’) now sounds like a painful metaphor. Even the one who is dearest to you – your mother – is getting older. But the song also promises: ‘My love for you has no end.’

Fragment from Stefania (translated from Ukrainian to English):

‘She was rocking me as a baby, she gave me a rhythm,
And you can‘t take willpower from me, as I got it from
her
I think she knew more than King Solomon.
I‘ll always find my way home, even if all roads are
destroyed
She wouldn‘t wake me up even if there was a storm
outside
Or if there was a storm between her and grandma,
She trusted me over everyone else
Even when she was tired, she just kept rocking me
Lully-lully-lullaby

Mother Stephania
Stephania mother
The field is blooming, but her hair is getting grey
Mother, sing me the lullaby
I want to hear your dear word.’

The complete lyrics for this song can be found here.

How is the winner determined?
Like in previous years the winner of the Eurostory Best Lyrics Award will be partially determined by online voters, and mainly determined by an international professional jury consisting of writers, poets, journalists, editors, songwriters, translators and former Eurovision participants. When all nominees are revealed the poll for online voting will open. The winner will be announced during Eurovision week in May. Keep following our website for the latest news!