Грижі translates to "hernias". It's a rather unexpected and vivid word to find in a song, especially one about work and life's struggles.
In the context of the song, the lyrics state: "Тре проїбати жизнь і заробити грижі" (You have to waste your life and earn hernias). This line uses a dark, sarcastic humor to highlight the harsh realities of demanding, poorly paid labor, suggesting that the only reward for a lifetime of hard work might be physical ailments rather than financial success. It's a memorable and impactful word that underscores the song's critical message about the value of labor.
This song plays on a well-known Ukrainian saying, "робота не вовк, в ліс не втече" - work is not a wolf, it won't run off into the woods. In other words, there's no need to rush into it.
The lyrics follow a narrator stuck in the grind of underpaid work: a degree that doesn't help, a minimum-wage job, and a paycheck that disappears within days. He wanted to retire comfortably by twenty, but instead spends his days hauling boxes, working the till, and dreaming about a couple of waffles with his tea as a small daily reward.
It's a wry, self-deprecating take on hustle culture and financial anxiety, wrapped in a catchy, repeated hook about a paycheck of "3200" that never stretches far enough.