The meaning of the lyrics of the song "Masquerade ball" (Bal-maskarad) the performer of the song "Vladimir Vysotsky"

Today, a rumor spread through our team,

About a masquerade ball, it would seem, -

They gave out masks of rabbits and elephants,

And alcoholics, which caused many comments,

And set the whole thing at the city zoo.

“Why go all dressed up - explain to me,

My dear, for God’s sake, honestly!”

She said, "Get dressed!" - ashamed, you see,

“Or else, as always, you’ll walk behind me.”

“I borrowed,” she said, “this dress from Nadia, -

I’ll be Marina Vlady, just like her,

And, even if it kills me, I will spend

My Sunday evening ‘til the very end

Dressed up, with your drunk face, my dear!”

…Why did I even bother to prepare? -

They caught me right away at the zoo there, -

Because our prankster Kolka, in his spree,

Had given me an alcoholic’s mask, you see, -

And three guys called me over for a beer.

I found myself back at the zoo again:

Two wives, two Marina Vladys, it’s insane! -

All dressed as animals,

With two hippos, what a scandal! -

I went wild too and decided to remain.

Next morning at work they gave us extra pay,

Saying that at the masquerade yesterday,

Apparently, I didn’t just portray

An alcoholic, no, not on that day,

But ended up inside the hippos’ fray.

Сегодня в нашей комплексной бригаде

Прошел слушок о бале-маскараде, -

Раздали маски кроликов,

Слонов и алкоголиков,

Назначили все это - в зоосаде.

"Зачем идти при полном при параде -

Скажи мне, моя радость, Христа ради?"

Она мне: "Одевайся!" -

Мол, я тебя стесняюся,

Не то, мол, как всегда, пойдешь ты сзади.

"Я платье, - говорит, - взяла у Нади -

Я буду нынче как Марина Влади

И проведу, хоть тресну я,

Часы свои воскресные

Хоть с пьяной твоей мордой, но в наряде!"

...Зачем же я себя утюжил, гладил? -

Меня поймали тут же в зоосаде, -

Ведь массовик наш Колька

Дал мне маску алкоголика -

И на троих зазвали меня дяди.

Я снова очутился в зоосаде:

Глядь - две жены, - ну две Марины Влади! -

Одетые животными,

С двумя же бегемотами, -

Я тоже озверел - и стал в засаде.

Наутро дали премию в бригаде,

Сказав мне, что на бале-маскараде

Я будто бы не только

Сыграл им алкоголика,

А был у бегемотов я в ограде.

Vladimir Vysotsky's poem "The Fancy Dress Ball" is imbued with irony and social satire, ridiculing the hypocrisy, conformism, and "window dressing" of Soviet society.

Plot: The lyrical hero is getting ready for a fancy dress ball with his wife. She, striving for outward glamour and "cultured" pastime, borrows a dress to resemble the poetess Marina Vladi and is ashamed of her husband, who, in her opinion, might embarrass her with his appearance.

Layers of Meaning:

Masks: The masks in the poem are not only festive attributes but also a metaphor reflecting falsehood and pretense in society. People hide their true selves behind masks of "decency" and "cultural refinement."

Zoo: The choice of the zoo as the venue for the fancy dress ball is no accident. It symbolizes the limitations and "confinement" of an artificial world where people, like animals in cages, are forced to obey established rules and norms of behavior.

Alcoholism: The image of an alcoholic, which repeatedly emerges in the poem, also carries a symbolic meaning. It reflects social problems and the inability of some people to cope with life's difficulties, finding solace in alcohol.

Satire on Soviet Reality: Vysotsky mocks the contrast between proclaimed ideals and real life. The fancy dress ball in the zoo, where people dress up as animals, becomes a grotesque picture of Soviet life with its formalism and lack of individuality.

The Ending: The ironic ending, where the hero is awarded a prize for "playing" an alcoholic, emphasizes the absurdity of the situation. Society is ready to encourage hypocrisy and pretense as long as the appearance of well-being is maintained.

In conclusion, "The Fancy Dress Ball" is a multifaceted work in which, through the prism of humor and satire, Vysotsky raises important social and philosophical issues.