The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Father's prohibition" (Zapret otca) the performer of the song "The King and the Jester"

The angry father's strict decree

Forbids her hand in marriage to be.

But in her heart, a young man's face,

A love she cannot erase.

His disappearance from the village square

Filled her with worry, filled her with despair.

Her father, though, seemed almost glad,

No sorrow for the one they'd had.

The night fell dark, the lanterns dim,

The maiden tossed, unable to sleep within.

A sudden sound, a scrape at the door,

Who'd dare to visit at this late hour?

Familiar heavy footsteps shook the floor,

Her father's shadow filled the door.

A sack he carried, boots poked out the end,

"Wolves got him, dear, he's gone, my friend."

She crept towards the sack, her heart in pain,

"I cannot believe this tale, it's insane!"

She looked inside, and to her despair,

Lay a dead man, an axe in his hair!

"Don't you judge me, daughter, don't you dare,

He couldn't live, I swear, I swear!

Wounded badly, in blood he did lay,

I took his pain, I ended his day."

Суров запрет сердитого отца,

Он не велит ей замуж выходить.

Но перед нею образ молодца,

Она его не может разлюбить.

Исчезновенье парня на селе

Родило в ней тревогу и печаль.

В тот день её отец повеселел,

Пропавшего в лесу ему не жаль.

Спустилась ночь, погасли фонари.

Девица в доме не смыкает глаз.

Вдруг слышит она шорох у двери.

Но кто решил явиться в этот час?

Гремят знакомые тяжёлые шаги,

Вот тьме застыл отцовский силуэт.

В руках мешок, торчат оттуда сапоги.

"Его загрызли волки, его больше нет".

К мешку девица тихо подошла.

"Я не могу поверить в этот вздор".

И мертвеца внутри она нашла,

Из головы его торчал большой топор!

"Ты только, дочка, батьку не брани,

Он бы не смог, поверь мне, дальше жить.

Он был в ужасных ранах и лежал в крови,

Я пожалел беднягу и решил добить".

The song "Father's Prohibition" by the band "Korol i Shut" tells a tragic love story faced with cruelty and selfishness. A father forbids his daughter to marry her beloved, and soon the young man disappears. The father rejoices at this, unaware of the terrible truth.

At night, the girl's lover comes to her, carrying something terrifying in a sack. The father killed the young man, and to cover up the crime, he passed him off as the victim of a wolf attack. The girl discovers the body with an axe sticking out of its head, exposing the father's lie.

However, it is not only the murder itself that is shocking, but also the reaction of the "groom". Not only does he not blame the killer, but he justifies his action, claiming that he "finished him off" out of mercy as he was suffering from wounds.

The meaning of the lyrics is multi-layered:

Love and Tyranny: It shows the tragedy of love destroyed by the cruelty of a father who controls his daughter's life.

Deception and Self-Deception: The father deceives his daughter and possibly himself, justifying the murder with feigned nobility.

Death and Oblivion: The ending is open - it is unknown whether the truth will be revealed and whether the father will be punished. However, the image of the "groom" justifying the killer creates a feeling of hopelessness.

The song leaves a heavy impression, making you think about the price of love, power and lies.