Mother Russia is the closing song on Renaissance's 1974 album Turn of the Cards. It also appears on the 1976 live album Live at Carnegie Hall, the compilation Tales of 1001 Nights, Vol. 1 and several other Renaissance concert albums.
The song is a tribute to Russian writer Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, who had been forced by the Communist regime to leave the Soviet Union earlier in 1974. Written as usual by poet Betty Thatcher, the lyrics are based on Solzhenitsyn's famous novel about Soviet repression, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. Because fans of the band were surprised at the move into topical songwriting, singer Annie Haslam has had often to point out to interviewers that "Mother Russia" really refers to Solzhenitsyn.
Musically, the full version of "Mother Russia" begines with a sparse, string-driven intro marked by occasional piano crescendos. At around two minutes into the song, Haslam's voice enters and the next three minutes of the song contain six verses in three pairs describing Solzhenitsyn's plight, in between which are short interludes of strings and acoustic guitar.
Pays the price, works the seasons through
Frozen days, he thinks of you
Cold as ice, but he burns for you
Mother Russia, can't you hear him too?
Mother's son, freedom's overdue
Lonely man, he thinks of you
He isn't done, only lives for you
Mother Russia, can't you hear him too?
Punished for his written thoughts
Starving for his fame
Working blindly, building blocks
Number for a name
His blood flows, frozen to the snow
Red blood, white snow
He knows, frozen rivers won't flow
So cold, so true
Mother Russia, he cries for you
Punished for his written thoughts
Starving for his fame
Working blindly, building blocks
Number for a name
His blood flows, frozen to the snow
Red blood, white snow
He knows, frozen rivers won't flow
So cold, so true
Mother Russia, he cries for you
Frozen days, he thinks of you
Cold as ice, but he burns for you
Mother Russia, can't you hear him too?
Mother's son, freedom's overdue
Lonely man, he thinks of you
He isn't done, only lives for you
Mother Russia, can't you hear him too?
Punished for his written thoughts
Starving for his fame
Working blindly, building blocks
Number for a name
His blood flows, frozen to the snow
Red blood, white snow
He knows, frozen rivers won't flow
So cold, so true
Mother Russia, he cries for you
Punished for his written thoughts
Starving for his fame
Working blindly, building blocks
Number for a name
His blood flows, frozen to the snow
Red blood, white snow
He knows, frozen rivers won't flow
So cold, so true
Mother Russia, he cries for you
