The meaning of the lyrics of the song "To my friends." (Moim druzyam) the performer of the song "Mikhail Krug"

All my friends, though drivers, aren't exactly teetotalers.

And if there's a need in this area—especially at "Yuzhny" in the morning,

And if you don't brag too much, you can, of course, just keep quiet.

The ability to nurse a hangover in our line of work doesn't mean you know how to drink.

But with us, as it turns out, they'll outdrink and out-eat you till the bitter end.

Like that time, Kalinych, Zelja and I shared a bottle of wine.

In the mornings, it's not the hangover that's tough, but the conscience gnawing at you while you're still sober.

But Zelja, after a shot to cure his, said, "We gotta drink while we still got the cash."

While before, it used to be, with tears, such hard times we saw,

We were struggling, waiting for payday, now—stuff your face even from the morning on.

And on this familiar road, I feel something tender in my chest,

For half a liter and for one untouched, my heart leaps on the way.

"Yuzhny" is delirious today, the selection is weak—madames and gentlemen are in Paris,

Here, broads are knocking back shots the Russian way, and eternal smoke hangs around "M" and "Zh."

But not everyone is crushed by the brothel life, by the caresses of yielding lovers:

Look, Kalinych hasn't touched a drop in a week and even got himself a brand new jacket.

I'm talking to you girls: at least don't disgrace yourselves, women, the fairer sex.

Just yesterday, some drunk floozy went and collapsed on the floor, chair and all.

Все мои друзья не в полной мере трезвенники, хоть и шофера.

И если пригодиться в этой сфере, — особенно у "Южного" с утра,

И если не особенно кичиться, то можно и, конечно, помолчать.

Уменье в нашем деле похмелиться не значит, что умеешь выпивать.

А у нас, как выходит на деле, перепьют, пережрут до конца.

Вот и я, Калиныч и Зеля как-то выпили вместе винца.

Тяжко по утрам не опохмелье, а в сознанье совесть, пока трезв,

Но сказал, опохмелившись, Зеля: "Надо пить, пока деньжата есть".

А раньше ведь, бывало, со слезами, такая была трудная пора,

Мы маялись, одиннадцати ждали, теперь — нажрись хоть с самого утра.

И привычно знакомой дорогой, что-то чувствую нежно в груди,

За поллитрой и за недотрогой, вырывается сердце в пути.

В "Южном" нынче бред, разгон здесь слабый мадамы и джентельмены в Париже,

Здесь порцуху пьют по-русски бабы, и вечный дым в районе "М" и "Ж".

Но не всех подмяла жизнь борделей ласками податливых подруг:

Вон, Калиныч не попил неделю и состряпал новенький сюртук.

Обращаюсь к девочкам: хотя бы не позорьте, бабы, слабый пол.

Вон, вчера подвыпившая лярва вместе с креслом грохнулась на пол.

In the song "To My Friends", Mikhail Krug, with his characteristic directness and irony, describes the life of his friends, drivers, who are not alien to everyday weaknesses.

The first lines set the tone for the whole story: although his friends work as drivers, they are not averse to having a drink. The author humorously notes that if you need to "help in this area," that is, to drink, especially in the morning in the "Yuzhny" district, it is better not to refuse. It is important to "not brag" and be modest. Krug emphasizes that the ability to "have a hangover" does not mean immoderation in drinking.

Then follows an example from life, when the lyrical hero, Kalinych and Zelya "drank too much wine". In the morning, naturally, a hangover set in, and with it, remorse. Zelya, trying to philosophically comprehend the situation, declares: "You have to drink while you have the money." This phrase, which has become winged, reflects the bitter reality of that time, when people sought oblivion in alcohol, escaping from difficulties and uncertainty.

Despite the severity of life, hope for the best is warming in the hero's heart. He feels tender feelings, going "for half a liter and for the untouchable."

The image of "Yuzhny" is a collective image of wicked places where revelry and vice reign. Here "women drink port in Russian" and tobacco smoke always hangs. However, even in this gloomy entourage, there is a place for simple human stories. Kalinych, for example, did not drink for a week and "made a new frock coat".

In the last lines, the author addresses women, urging them not to disgrace the "weaker sex" with their inappropriate behavior, as did the "drunken scum" who fell from the chair.